‘Broke’ ANC faces another multimillion-rand court claim – report

Amid regular reports of how the ANC has been struggling to pay its staff on time every month, the party has reportedly been dragged to court in a nearly R6 million claim from a polling company.

Papers lodged in the High Court in Johannesburg reveal that well-known survey company Ipsos claims it is owed R5.8 million for services rendered since January 2019, reports Sunday World.

The party, in addition, still faces millions in legal claims from some of its suppliers from previous election cycles.

The ANC’s cash crunch is understood to be exacerbated by numerous factors, including the scrutiny on its fund-raising activities led by the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture and the new Political Party Funding Act, which forces political parties to disclose the details around donations of R100,000 or more – a requirement that many businesspeople are not comfortable with.

The ANC introduced this new law in parliament, though many within its ranks have expressed dismay at the effect it appears to be having on them.

The party’s staff have been on strike despite pleas from the ANC for them to be more understanding of its financial vulnerability and to help it get through the next elections intact.

ANC could benefit from postponement

Elections could still take place on 27 October this year, depending on a much-awaited ruling from the Constitutional Court after the Independent Electorial Commission of SA applied to postpone elections to February next year over fears that the Covid-19 pandemic might cause the elections to end up being ruled not free and fair.

The apex court justices at times appeared to show scepticism over the application.

ALSO READ: ConCourt reserves judgment on whether elections can be delayed 

Adding to its woes, City Press has reported that the ANC may miss the deadline of tomorrow to register the 10,000 or so candidates it intends to field.

Without a willingness from admin staff to work overtime, the party is reportedly running against the clock to make the deadline.

If, as is feared, hundreds of names fail to be submitted on time, the ANC will not be allowed to contest some wards if the elections are not postponed.

The party is regularly racked by violence and murder when it comes to the issue of who stands as a councillor, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, but increasingly countrywide too. It seems inevitable that some of the nominations in ANC branches will end up being challenged in court, too, further complicating its election plans.

This represents a major change in financial fortunes for the governing party. In 2016, the party’s then head of elections, Nomvula Mokonyane, boasted that the ANC had spent “a billion” on the election.

ALSO READ: ANC denies spending R1bn on the election 

The then ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa, however, said that only then treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize was allowed to speak about such issues, and added that Mokonyane had been making some sort of joke and that it was a “figure of speech”.

The exchange was recorded and broadcast on Radio 702, however, and Mokonyane appeared only to be uttering an actual figure, using speech.

– Compiled by Charles Cilliers