ANC members vying for positions in the ANC’s highest decision-making body have until Friday to declare any monies spent on campaigning.
This was the instruction from former president and the party’s electoral committee chair Kgalema Motlanthe this week, who demanded that details about budgets and expenditures for campaigns be submitted to him by November 11.
But the move has garnered mixed reactions, with those backing presidential hopeful Lindiwe Sisulu’s campaign saying Motlanthe must first unseal the CR17 campaign bank statements.
Sisulu’s spokesperson, Steve Motale, said this was the team’s condition.
"We welcome it, and we are open to it," Motale said.
"However, we would like (former) president Motlanthe to start with the sealed CR17 campaign documents, so that we get the complete picture, since Nasrec 2017 is where the whole problem started.
“We would like to start as far back as 2017, and (have) all the candidates who contested begin there as well. That is our condition," Motale said.
Motale was referring to the bank statements of ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa’s CR17 campaign leading up to the 54th ANC national elective conference in 2017.
The EFF had approached the courts to force the disclosure of the statements in an application linked to suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane's invalidated report on the CR17 campaign finances. The application was dismissed with costs last year.
Candidates or teams who fail to adhere to Friday’s deadline could be disqualified from contesting. Motlanthe wrote to national executive committee members, provincial secretaries, regional secretaries, branch secretaries, and members in good standing.
Acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile was also copied in on the letter.
Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, who is vying for deputy president, and her campaign team would comply.
Chrispin Phiri, the spokesperson for Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola, said: "We welcome the rules set out by the committee, in the spirit of transparency as well as fighting against corruption."
Lamola is also vying for the position of deputy president.
Motlanthe wrote that all candidates and their campaign teams had to keep a clear record of all sources of donations in money and in kind, as well as their spending on their campaigns. The former president has also asked that the full financial records of every campaign be maintained and submitted to the electoral committee.
"The electoral committee has the right to demand further particulars, to inspect bank statements of candidates, campaigns, and campaign workers, and to interview members of campaign teams," Motlanthe wrote.
Former Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle, who is eyeing the all-powerful position of secretary-general, said although he would comply with Motlanthe’s letter, it had left him confused, as some candidates did not have campaign teams.
"Nonetheless, I understand the reasoning behind what they are doing, but it is a bit difficult because I did not go around asking people to nominate me. People who I believe are active in the organisation’s structures said they would like me to avail myself, and after some time I agreed," Masualle said.
Masualle, who has the backing of the provincial leadership in KwaZulu-Natal, has been running his campaign through social media and by addressing public gatherings.
He said Motlanthe’s instruction was indicative of a system used by other parties, not the ANC.
"Perhaps those who have put up their hands to lead have campaign teams. I think this letter is trying to regulate the proliferation of the use of money by demanding that it be transparent.“
The party’s KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Mafika Ndebele said they would encourage their preferred candidate for the position of president, Dr Zweli Mkhize, to comply and declare any financial documents.
"We welcome any reforms that the ANC is using to curb the use of money to influence the outcome of the conference. We support them, and our wish is that we can ultimately do away with slate politics and the politics of lobby groups," Ndebele said.
"It’s a good idea. Immediately after President Ramaphosa was elected, there were a lot of allegations that related to shocking amounts of money that were used to influence an electoral outcome, and that is not the way we should be conducting ourselves."
Meanwhile, former councillor and Eastern Cape provincial executive council member Andile Lungisa, who is hoping to emerge as treasurer-general, said Motlanthe’s instructions "were formalising" the use of money to buy support.
"This is the wrong direction, because Comrade (Motlanthe) is inventing a resolution that is not there," Lungisa said.
"In the ANC, money is not allowed. He is formalising money. The mere fact that he is referring to campaign managers and asking for financials is the officialisation of money.
“Those who have big pockets will continue to buy their way up. The organisation will be bought by those who have big pockets and dirty money.“