City Press reports that the ANC’s failure to pay salaries has had dreadful consequences for its employees, some of whom have been evicted from their homes or are now relying on loan sharks to provide for themselves and their families.

Staff representative Mvusi Mdala last week said the meetings convened by ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile had shown that the party’s leadership had no clear plan to solve this crisis, which was why the staff members had decided to down tools. Mdala said that in a meeting last Tuesday, Mashatile had presented “timelines which are not achievable”. Mdala indicated: “He (Mashatile) has run out of ideas and he is failing to say that. He committed to giving us a written response and we were informed that the response was ready, waiting for his signature. In that meeting, it was said there was a high possibility we might get into next month without salaries." Mdala added: “The situation the ANC has put people in is not only about losing houses; people are being evicted now because they last paid rent last year. We are subjecting ourselves to these inhumane conditions by the leadership not providing solutions.” In its meeting last week, the ANC’s national working committee (NWC) acknowledged the strain the nonpayment of salaries was putting employees under. The NWC discussed a possible amendment to the Political Party Funding Act to allow parties to receive up to R100 million from a single donor, as opposed to the current R15 million. The party blames this law, which comes into effect on 1 April, for its financial woes.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Queenin Masuabi at City Press (subscriber access only)

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