After the Sunday Times reported that a company has been demanding more than R100 million from the ANC for printing 30,000 election posters for them, some on social media were amazed at the audacity of the bill.
It works out to about R3,000 per poster, which led one commentator to say that the ANC should countersue the company for taking chances.
Ezulweni Investments from KwaZulu-Natal reportedly printed the posters, which they reportedly claim the ANC used in their campaign across the country but then refused to pay for because they had not been authorised as a purchase by ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile.
ANC head of elections Fikile Mbalula reportedly also knew nothing about the order.
The company has dragged the ruling party to the high court due to the dispute, which the ANC maintains they will continue to fight.
Brand and public relations strategist Khanyisile Madlala earlier this year estimated that more than R2 billion was collectively spent by political parties on campaigns for the May polls, with the ANC, which emerged triumphant, having spent more than an estimated R1 billion.
When The Citizen was researching the cost of a poster in the 2014 elections, one supplier quoted for 20,000 3mm correx boards printed in full colour one one side, with punch holes, at a cost of just under R500,000, which worked out to about R25 a poster.
For the same number of posters printed on paper and then laminated onto 3mm correx board on one side, with punch holes, the cost was even lower, at R18 a poster.
While many parties do use correx board, the ANC and other major parties glue their posters to wooden boards.
An online printing website on Sunday quoted R21,708.08 for 10,000 posters, without boards.
Earlier this year, the DA boasted that they had put up more than 1.5 million election posters throughout South Africa, which they called the largest poster operation in the history of their party and a “testament to our strength and size across the country”.
It was nevertheless estimated that the ANC still put up more posters than them.
(Compiled by Charles Cilliers)
