In fact, the ANC has already raised R80 000 for its elections kitty from the 80 MPs who, without authorisation, did not attend its parliamentary caucus lekgotla, which was held on March 1 and 2 to assess the caucus's performance, among other things.
ANC chief whip Mathole Motshekga said each of the 80 MPs would be fined R1 000, payable by May 16, and the money would be used for electioneering.
The party will, however, not name the offending MPs although this censure might be considered for repeat offenders. "To name and shame is another form of punishment and we are saying, at this stage, the punishment is a fine," he said. "Repeat offenders deserve more sanction."
Motshekga said that, on the whole, the party was satisfied with the performance of its MPs.
"It is an open secret … there are some elements that are ill-disciplined. They have brought our caucus and Parliament into disrepute by failing to attend, walking in and out of Parliament."
Motshekga said the party had come to the conclusion that persuasion was not enough. "We need to take action and that's why we have gone to the lekgota and said, 'Look at yourself, assess yourself'."
Motshekga's acting deputy, Mmamoloko Kubayi, said that the ANC was imposing a dress code in the interest of protecting the decorum of the house so as not to bring the ANC into disrepute.
"If you look at the rules, you can't dress without sleeves [or] with boobs out … all those things aren't allowed from an MP," said Kubayi. "You can't come to the house in sneakers and jeans. As a woman, I can't come wearing shorts."