Food for votes — but ANC says it is legitimate
OPPOSITION political parties in the Eastern Cape have accused the ANC of using food parcels distributed by the SA Social Services Agency to win votes from poor rural families.
Last week the Sunday Times found Sassa officials distributing the parcels to about 170 families near Dutywa in the Mbashe municipality.
An ANC councillor, who declined to comment, was seen handing out the parcels.
They each contained 12.5kg of maize meal, 10kg of rice, 12.5kg of bread flour, 5kg of samp, 5kg of beans, 5kg of sugar, six litres of milk, canned fish, cooking oil and candles.
Several of the recipients, who survive solely on social grants, said the food was given to them by the ANC.
Athol Trollip, the DA’s provincial leader, said this practice by the ANC was not new, and he was probing other cases. He was initially made aware, by his councillors, of the “unlawful practice” in January when the Mbashe municipality was holding by-elections for 12 wards. They had become vacant when the ANC expelled 12 councillors and four proportional representative councillors.
“These food parcels are being used by the ANC to lobby for votes and to reward villagers when the ANC wins a by-election in that particular ward,” said Trollip.
He said a DA councillor in the Mbashe region, Thabisa Goniwe, had told him of DA supporters who were not given food parcels, despite having qualified.
“The verification process is not being adhered too . . . food for votes is a scandal,” said Trollip.
United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa said: “Food for votes is a blatant misuse of state resources.
“It’s been happening for years, especially during by-elections and around the period of national elections. It’s a strategy by the ANC to manipulate villagers and it’s long overdue that it is exposed. The ANC would rather exploit these people with food than give them jobs.”
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane denied his party was using food parcels to secure votes.
“Claims about the ANC using food parcels to lobby for votes are malicious and misinformed,” he said.
Sassa’s Eastern Cape spokesman Luzuko Qina said they had been investigating the claims made by the DA and UDM. “It is common that during election time, political parties make such accusations,” he said.
Qina said it was Sassa’s policy to thoroughly verify that beneficiaries were indeed indigent and to provide them with monthly food parcels for a maximum of six months. — Simpiwe Piliso