With the African National Congress’s (ANC) elective conference a few weeks away, allegations are doing the rounds that those with deep pockets are using their money to sway voting delegates.
This issue has come up on the fringes of the recent meeting of the national executive committee (NEC). The allegations were ”very strong, but not strong enough” to warrant a full investigation, the Mail & Guardian was told by ANC KwaZulu-Natal secretary Senzo Mchunu.
In a political overview prepared last week for the ANC NEC, Joel Netshitenzhe noted that there had been references to the possibility of money, intimidation and promises of government positions thrown into the electoral pot.
Mchunu said he had received complaints of high-earning ANC members dishing out cash to branch delegates. Mchunu says the issue is being spoken of in the province, but no official charges have been laid against particular individuals. Mchunu says the rumours concern the leadership in the province because ”it means that there is money going around that is not available to everybody”.
”At the NEC, some members were saying they were concerned about large sums of money circulating in branches,” he says.
Mchunu, who supports ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma, feels this might lead to ”the creation of an artificial outcome of the election” in Polokwane. He does not want to say which candidate is being favoured by those circulating the cash, but says rumours point to ”only one of the two candidates”. A provincial leader warns that although some individuals might try to ”buy” votes in this way, voting is by secret ballot.
”Those who dish out money should not be convinced that their candidate will win. People will take the money, but still vote for who they want.”
The role that money will play in the outcome of the election became a source of concern among ANC members when multimillionaire Tokyo Sexwale joined the presidential race earlier this year.
An Mbeki lobbyist alleged that Sexwale ran his campaign by providing funding to branches and individuals to help him strengthen his bid. Sexwale’s spokesperson Chris Vick said they would not respond to anonymous claims.
Recently supporters of President Thabo Mbeki in North West province were accused of falsely alleging that pensions and grants would be taken away from those who supported Zuma.
The M&G reported last week that Alfred Motsi, provincial chairperson of the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans’ Association, said that ANC members in Rustenburg were promised jobs if they voted for Mbeki.
This week, the ANC Youth League regional secretary in the Eastern Cape, Andile Lungisa, claimed that people were being purged from the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality because they were openly supporting Zuma. This suggests that government posts were becoming part of the currency.
Amid claims of bribery and foul play, branches need to fork out at least R850 for each delegate they send to Polokwane. This covers their travel costs, accommodation and food.
Gauteng provincial executive committee member Nat Kekana says the amount might be onerous for poorer branches.
A suggested way to help fund these costs is to return to the branches the fees their members have paid. This will reward branches that have done well in recruiting new members, Kekana says.
More senior members of the party who attend the conference will pay considerably more, with Mbeki and Zuma each having to pay R5 500. The conference will cost a minister R4 500 and provincial ministers R4 000, because ”they are in a position to contribute more”.
Branches are expected to come up with the money within the next few weeks, because all fees must be paid before they take the long road to Limpopo.
Although the ANC will not talk about the cost estimates for the conference, it is expected to get a cash injection from an initiative by the Network Lounge that will set up a marquee with stalls. This will provide opportunities for private companies to interact with ANC members, a privilege for which the companies will each pay R159 600, a combined amount of R5-million.