ANC must get its financial affairs in order

THE ANC needs to get its financial affairs in order.

The payroll department of the ruling party is in such disarray that some staff have not been paid salaries for almost three months.

Benefits such as medical aid contributions are regularly missed, they say.

One representative even accused the party of behaving in a criminal manner by deducting money from pay cheques but not paying the provident fund.

The frustration is so severe that employees at branches around the country embarked on a national shutdown on Monday.

It’s a harsh indictment of the continent’s oldest liberation movement that its members say they are having to default on their house and car payments, and are having to rely on the kindness of family and friends to make ends meet.

Party loyalty aside, what must these workers then think when the bigwigs – including the NEC and Top Six – parade themselves at Nasrec in December, where no expense will once again be spared in staging the National Elective Conference?

What must unpaid staff think when the party president is accused of stashing millions of dollars under mattresses at his plush game farm?

The ANC cannot legitimately claim to be the champion of the poor and disadvantaged with the current levels of wasteful expenditure, misuse of taxpayers’ money, corruption and lack of accountability in its organisation.

It was indeed a small victory this week when the Constitutional Court ruled the Executive Ethics Code to be unconstitutional, and ordered the disclosure of all funding for party election campaigns.

ANC treasurer general Paul Mashatile is also expected to enforce a set of rules for the nomination and election of the NEC and Top Six at Nasrec.

Candidates’ bank statements, assets, properties, investments, donations and gifts must be declared for scrutiny.

The new rule comes after Ramaphosa was accused of using close to R1billion for his CR17 campaign.

The more transparency and accountability, the better.

For if the ANC cannot even pay its own staff, what hope is there of it renewing its state-owned enterprises, the economy and the country?