The ANC launched a crowdfunding initiative to raise funds at the weekend.
This came after the governing party experienced cash flow problems that led to its failure to pay staff salaries for months. Disgruntled staff downed tools last week to voice their unhappiness with the non-payment of wages.
The ANC had relied on donors over the years to keep it going, but with the adoption of the new disclosure rules corporate coffers seemed to have dried up.
All donations of more than R100,000 must be disclosed publicly and political parties are prohibited from receiving more than R15m a year from one donor, according to the political party funding act that came into effect in April.
At the weekend, the ANC said it planned to crowdfund, increase membership fees and levies to sort out financial woes. It remains to be seen if the initiatives are sustainable and will be able to rescue the party from its financial troubles.
However, the question to ask is whether the party can be trusted with the public purse now that it finds itself in a tight position where it cannot even pay salaries of its staff?
When the ANC was not in a financial mess like it is now, Covid-19 funds were looted last year. We watched in shock as it was revealed at the Zondo commission how the state was captured in order to allow corruption on a grand scale.
The story of the rot can been seen in state-owned enterprises, which were severely affected. They are ailing now after the looting under the watchful eye of the party. Only time will tell if they will ever recover.
Meanwhile, our sister publication Sunday Times recently reported that the ANC had not paid pay-as-you-earn deductions to the SA Revenue Service and that it had owed the taxman more than R80m, which resulted in its bank account being garnisheed.
There were also allegations that it had failed to pay Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) contributions for its staff, even though it was deducted. It is ironic that the party, in its role in government, is expecting citizens to abide by the laws of the land but failed to do the same.
We call on the ANC to come up with sustainable initiatives to fix its financial crisis that would ensure workers are paid monthly. They have families to feed.
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