LIMPOPO: ANC Treasurer-General Paul Mashatile has laid bare why his party has been out of pocket, resulting in the organisation struggling to pay its employees for months on end.
He was speaking exclusively to IOL on the sidelines of a Presidential Golf Day held at the Euphoria Hotel in Waterberg.
The event forms part of an array of activities that the party has lined up for its 110th-anniversary celebrations in Polokwane and across the province before the main January 8 statement rally on Saturday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, flanked by Limpopo premier Stan Mathabatha and Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba teed the first ball at what is meant to raise funds for the party.
Despite scores of businesspeople clad in ANC regalia and politicians who had to pay at least R350 000 to play golf with the president, Mashatile bemoaned the private sector for its reluctance to fund the ruling party.
He said: “The ANC gets its funding from the private sector. Up to 70% of our income comes from the private sector. So since the implementation of the law that requires disclosure of financial funding to parties, many private businesses are reluctant to donate to us… and that’s why we (ANC) are struggling.”
He added: “In the past, it would have been easy to raise money from the private sector but people have become reluctant and so it has become a challenge.”
Mashatile further said: “We still get money from the private sector but it doesn’t flow as it used to and that’s why we have asked the government to increase party funding.”
Some of the activities that were still to take place on Friday included a commemoration event in honour of the party’s stalwarts, a gala dinner where people who will share a meal on Ramaphosa’s table will pay more than R1 million to sit next to him.
In the few days, party officials also met traditional leaders across the province.
Meanwhile, Mashatile said Limpopo had bared some of the costs for the celebrations while the national ANC had taken the bulk of the costs.
Rasheed Gutta, a businessman in the retail and manufacturing industry paid R350 000 to play golf with the president.
He said: “I have since 2018 (been) trying to reach him (Ramaphosa) because I’ve always had proposals to do business with him… and so this is a good opportunity to meet him.”
The Limpopo Tourism Agency also formed part of the ANC’s presidential golf day.
Asked why a government entity was part of a political party celebration, the agency’s board chairperson Andrew Dipela replied: “We are not supporting a certain political party but support a major event that happens to be in our province that provides livelihood to most of our tourism attractions.
“Whether it’s the DA or EFF, they can come to the province as long as it’s a major event we will support them.”
Political Bureau