The African National Congress (ANC) plans to tackle the sticky issue of the influence that businesspeople have on the party, the party’s national working committee (NWC) decided at its meeting on Monday. But it will first have to do some introspection about the role of the Progressive Business Forum, its fundraising vehicle.
Following various news reports of the alleged influence that the Gupta family, which owns Sahara computers and the New Age newspaper, wields on president Jacob Zuma, the ANC decided to tackle the issue that has been hogging headlines for the past week.
The Guptas themselves have embarked on a charm offensive, meeting with the Congress of South African Trade Unions, granting long interviews to newspapers and offering to “open up their books” to anyone who questions their credibility.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe told reporters at Luthuli House on Tuesday that the NWC meeting on Monday declined to discuss the Gupta family as a standalone issue.
“We decided to deal with the influence that business has in politics, it has nothing to do with the Guptas. There is nothing new about the Gupta family, but we will investigate whether business has undue influence on politics,” Mantashe said.
Widely criticised
This investigation will bring the Progressive Business Forum (PBF) into the spotlight. The PBF, run from Luthuli House by former National Party minister Renier Schoeman, is a vehicle through which the ANC facilitates businesspeople accessing government and ANC leaders.
Schoeman is the co-convenor of the forum, together with another former National Party leader, Daryl Swanepoel.
So powerful is the PBF it arranged an event where British Foreign Secretary William Hague was due to attend with businesspeople. The event was cancelled at the last minute because of the outbreak of unrest in North Africa.
Although it has been widely criticised as a scheme to “buy a minister”, the ANC has been adamant the PBF is a legitimate way for the party to boost its purse.
Businessmen or companies can buy different kinds of membership from the PBF — ranging from standard to platinum — that cost tens of thousands of rands, for access to gala dinners, breakfasts and other events where the presence of certain ministers are guaranteed.
Mantashe said on Tuesday the PBF may be used as a mechanism to manage the relations between business and politics. “We must see if it is not the platform that should be used for these matters, because it is more formal and transparent.”
Racial tint
Mantashe put a racial tint to the furore around the Guptas, claiming that when other companies, like Anglo American or BHP Billiton, do black economic empowerment deals, no one raises an eyebrow.
“Why is it an issue when it is an Indian company? It will be the same with a Chinese company because Indians and Chinese are not white enough.”
At the briefing Mantashe also rejected calls for government spokesperson Jimmy Manyi’s exit after the latter’s racial comments.
“People who make calls to fire Jimmy Manyi have a hatred for change. Change is painful,” he said, claiming in his role as Black Management Forum president Manyi is an agent for transformation.