POLOKWANE, SOUTH AFRICA JANUARY 07: President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the Gala Dinner moments before a power outage at the Ranch Resort on January 07, 2021 in Polokwane, South Africa. This was an effort to secure funds for the governing party, which is celebrating its 110th anniversary. Photo by Gallo Images/Daily Maverick/Felix Dlangamandla)
As the ANC plans to host its Presidential Gala Dinner on 7 January, as a tool to fundraise for its upcoming 111th anniversary celebration, there are questions around the value or ethics of these events.
The dinner is expected to be attended by the party’s newly elected National Executive Committee (NEC), and corporate and international guests.
On 8 January, President Cyril Ramaphosa will head the anniversary celebrations that are scheduled to take place in Mangaung.
With the aim of business networking, gala dinner table placings are going for astronomical prices.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s table, called the “Titanium” (table), was at the top of the list and placings ranged in the vicinity of at R1.2 million per head.
To sit with the deputy president of the ANC at his table will cost a mere R1 million. Places at the lower end of tables, which will include ANC officials, ministers and NEC members, will go for between R30 000 and R760 000 – with the lowest seat, at R5 000, at a table with no official host.
Social media went abuzz with disgruntled comments on the news of the presidential gala dinner.
In a response to “@MYANC”, Thabo Tjatji said: “Maybe you guys should consider cancelling or stop telling us about these Gala Dinners, they are of no use to us, money will be spent and yet the masses are struggling out there. Even your own organisations can’t pay their own employees. Stop spitting in the face of your people.”
But political analyst André Duvenhage said the gala dinners hosted were simply for the benefit of the ANC.
According to Duvenhage, the ANC at the moment had a serious problem in terms of finances and could not finance their processes.
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“They are building up to the 2024 elections and the gala evening is a way to see if they could mobilise finances for the party,” he said.
“Some people are prepared to pay to interact and sit next to the president of the ANC. As an initiative it is important for the party.”
Duvenhage said the ordinary citizen had serious questions about the relevancy of the party and if they would be able to deliver what they had promised. There was no doubt, the public believed this was a waste of time, he said.
“Their support base is dropping,” Duvenhage warned.
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