'We’re not going to charge the media', says Mashatile as ANC backtracks on controversial decision

The ANC has backtracked on its plan to charge media houses for space at its 55th national conference in December.

Treasurer-general and acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile on Thursday told TimesLIVE the party had reconsidered the proposal which was met with criticism.

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The financially-stricken ruling party announced on Wednesday that it was considering charging media houses for space at its December Nasrec conference as an avenue of fundraising.

This would have been the first political party event where the media would have had to pay for its attendance and coverage. 

Tabling the proposal on Wednesday, the ANC had said media houses that required more space and better facilities, such as TV stations, would have been charged more compared with those requiring minimal facilities, such as print houses.

However, on Thursday, Mashatile's office released a statement clarifying that media would no longer have to pay.

“We’re not going to charge the media. We will do as we've always [done]. We will invite the media. We will allocate you your space where you can do interviews [and where you can] have the lounge. So don’t worry. You don’t have to pay,” Mashatile said.

The EFF on Wednesday said it was cautioning the SABC against using public funds to pay the ANC for its “fundraising exercise”.

It said it was concerned that the ANC had decided to turn the conference into a “commercial opportunity to fix their financial woes”.

The party said it would closely monitor the SABC to ensure public money is not used as a “slush fund to buy delegates”.