Shaka Sisulu has said that he will respond in due course to allegations that he recruited Twitter users to post pro-ANC tweets for money.
There was no “black ops” media unit working for the ANC during its local government election campaign, Shaka Sisulu said in a media statement on Wednesday.
Sisulu, a television and radio personality, was responding to allegations that he led a covert election team known as the War Room.
In court papers, Sihle Bolani, who owns a public relations company, said the team, later known as the Media Advisory Team, produced fake posters to discredit the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters and created at least one platform to disseminate pro-ANC content under the guise of news.
The posters were never printed. Had they been, it would have been in violation of the electoral code, which is a criminal offence. Spreading misinformation or fake news also violates the code.
Bolani said the campaign also sought to recruit social media “influencers” to disseminate post that favour the ANC.
She said the ANC owes her R2.2-million for her contribution to the campaign. But ANC general manager Ignatius Jacobs responded in court papers saying that Bolani never signed an agreement with the ANC.
Sisulu, as the alleged leader of the War Room, has been at the centre of allegations for the misconduct the campaign is accused of. Investigative journalism unit AmaBhungane broke the story on News24 on Tuesday, saying the ANC intended to spend R50-million on the campaign. Sisulu has denied that any such operation existed.
“Whilst I did work briefly with the complainant [Bolani] as part of a media team it was certainly not a covert, ‘black-ops’ unit. I neither possess the skill nor the knowledge of what a ‘black-ops’ operation is,” Sisulu said.
He says media reports on the campaign are “intended to discredit, in part my reputation, and most significantly the name of the African National Congress”.
Sisulu says he had volunteered to work for the ANC during the 2016 municipal elections and that volunteers were tasked with promoting the ideals of the ANC rather than discrediting opposition parties.
“As volunteers we are not paid. All of us hundreds of thousands of volunteers participate for the love of the ANC,” he said.
According to Sisulu, volunteers used their own resources for campaign initiatives and would ask for donations from ANC supporters when needed.
Bolani has filed an urgent application but the South Gauteng High Court ruled that the matter is not urgent. The case will continue once a court date has been set.
In court papers, Jacobs said Bolani had worked with the ANC on its campaign for the 2016 local government elections.
The ANC has denied that Sisulu had any involvement in the campaign. Sisulu’s statement on Wednesday confirms, however, that he did do work for the ANC during the municipal elections.
Jacobs’ description of Bolani’s role is not far removed from how Sisulu described his own position in the campaign.
“[Bolani] undertook to volunteer her services and be part of the campaign team, together with other volunteers, to roll out the elections marketing strategy of the [ANC] in preparation for the local government elections on 3 August 2016,” Jacobs said.
Sisulu has said that he will respond in due course to allegations that he recruited Twitter users to post pro-ANC tweets for money.