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LISTEN | ANC staff slam party for blaming political funding law for non-payment of salaries

Aphiwe Deklerk Political reporter
ANC staff picketing outside Luthuli House in Johannesburg in September 2021. They were protesting against unpaid salaries. File photo.
ANC staff picketing outside Luthuli House in Johannesburg in September 2021. They were protesting against unpaid salaries. File photo.
Image: Freddy Mavunda

ANC employees have slammed the party’s leadership for blaming new party funding legislation for its non-payment of salaries.

At a press conference on Friday, chairperson of the ANC staff representative committee Mvusi Mdala said the party had challenges paying salaries before the Political Party Funding Act came into effect.

Listen to the statement here:

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“More often, the party funding legislation is being blamed for our dire financial situation. However, we must set the record straight. The ANC supported the legislation in its current format. Therefore the organisation cannot be surprised by the limitations which result from the legislation. 

“The salary payment delays started months before the legislation came into effect. ANC structures, such as the national working committee and national executive committee, must have monitoring mechanisms to ensure all commitments made on important matters such as labour disputes are actioned,” said Mdala.

He said ANC staff members support all legislation aimed at curbing corruption.

“We are disgusted by the divide-and-rule tactics, which amount to nothing but an attempt to weaken and undermine the unity of the workers. The leadership has endorsed a decision to place some staff members under the care of provinces in terms of financial resources. 

“This means ANC staff members in those provinces are receiving their salaries and this could potentially weaken efforts to put pressure on management to attend to our demands.

“Even worse, some staff members are allegedly receiving stacks of hard cash in envelopes in exchange for their labour and loyalty, while most of us drown in a pool of poverty.”

The press conference comes in the same week workers decided to again embark on industrial action. On Monday ANC employees decided to embark on another go-slow to protest against unpaid salaries.

The briefing also came a day after it was revealed the party wants changes in the Political Party Funding Act to allow declared donations to rise from R 100,000 to R250,000 or R500,000.

The party also wants the ceiling of R15m a year a party can receive from a single donor to increase to R50m or R100m.

Mdala warned the ANC that their go-slow will affect plans by the party to hold regional, provincial and national conferences this year.

TimesLIVE

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