The ANC Youth League is known for its lavish parties where expensive French Champagne and imported whisky flow, but back home times are tough for the ruling party’s kids’ corner.
Shortly before the league’s national general council, which kicks off on Monday, it has emerged the league owes almost half a million rands to a creditor.
Acting judge AJ Stockwell of the South Gauteng High Court granted a default judgment against the league on April 20 to pay nearly R500 000 to Taj Printers in Benoni.
On June 4 the sheriff of the court, Frans van Niekerk, went to Luthuli House in Johannesburg. But for fear of political fallout, he did not remove any property. “The sheriff is too scared,” a source close to the process said. “Even if he is escorted by the police, he is worried that it will be seen as a political issue.”
The Mail & Guardian has a copy of the court’s notice of attachment, showing the sheriff’s handwritten inventory of items such as computers, chairs, tables, a microwave and two wooden cabinets.
In a standard clause the notice of attachment specifies that “the inventorised disposable property was removed for safekeeping” — and the sheriff’s signature is on the document.
According to court documents filed earlier this year, the league owes Taj Printers R490 312 for printing leaflets, posters, banners, programmes and booklets, which were distributed across the country.
Taj Printers did its work for the youth league in 2007 and 2008. The current leadership of the league was elected in May 2008.
But Pule Mabe, the league’s treasurer, said he did not know Taj Printers. “We’ve never worked with them, I don’t know them.
“Ask them to call us and we’ll sort it out,” he said.
He was also unaware of the attachment. “We don’t even have a legal department,” he said.
In March 2010 a summons relating to Taj Printers’ action was served on a league employee, Ontiretse Pilane, but Mabe denied any knowledge of this.