Durban - Only some of the 16 candidates nominated for the ANC’s top six positions have produced their financial records, the electoral committee confirmed yesterday.
The guidelines for electing National Executive Committee (NEC) members states that all campaigns must submit detailed financial reports to the committee’s head, former president Kgalema Motlanthe.
The committee has the right to demand further information and bank statements, details of assets, properties and investments and details of the campaigns and campaign workers.
The rules were implemented after ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa was accused of using almost R1 billion in his 2017 election campaign. Ramaphosa and former health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize are among those who will have to disclose their records.
Secretary of the committee, Chief Livhuwani Matsila, said most of the candidates who had been announced on Tuesday had accepted their nominations. “Some have provided their financial records but others are outstanding. It is compulsory for them to provide a financial record of how they run their campaigns,” Matsila said. He said the party was also encouraging delegates to blow the whistle on attempts to buy votes before and during the conference.
“The NEC approved these rules and it is improper for delegates, including NEC members, to disrespect the rules. If delegates have information on vote buying and patronage, then they must complain to us and we will take action.”
ANC sources said while the electoral committee’s attempts to encourage whistle-blowers to come forward was commendable, there was a prevailing atmosphere of fear among those who would contemplate reporting negative campaign tactics.
In a memo sent by Motlanthe earlier this month to all party members, he said: “Any ANC member with information and complaints regarding negative campaigning against others should lodge such disputes in writing to the Electoral Committee and provide all the relevant details such as the name of the alleged perpetrator as well as the venue and time where the misconduct took place.”
Motlanthe said failure to disclose and declare the financial records as directed by the electoral committees “shall be a serious misconduct which could lead to all implicated in being subjected to disciplinary action and disqualified from being candidates for the NEC positions with possible expulsion from the ANC”.
Political commentator Omry Makgoale in an interview yesterday said the party had to find a different way to elect leaders.
“The ANC as an organisation is still paralysed and has to find a new way to elect leaders. For now, this is the best that has been offered and I do not know if they have the courage to move out of their cocoons and fight corruption.
“Corruption remains a big problem and unless the current leadership can do something about it, the ANC is going down and the country is going down.”