Africa-Press – South-Africa. Several ANC leaders employed in the party’s head office, Luthuli House, on Sunday joined staff protesting outside the venue of the special national executive committee (NEC) over non-payment of salaries.
NEC members including former Cabinet ministers Nomvula Mokonyane and ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini as well as party spokesperson Pule Mabe and head of the Presidency Sibongile Besani were among the protesting staff, as they are also employed by the party.
Mabe said they were also affected by the ANC’s failure to pay salaries since August.
˝The situation cannot persist, the situation cannot go on like this,” he said.
Mabe warned the ANC that if it wants to retain its skilled personnel it must ensure that they have job security, incentivise them regularly and pay them their fringe benefits.
“We will not leave the (NEC) meeting, unless we agree on what needs to happen,” he promised.
According to Mabe, the issue of non-payment of staff would be top of the agenda before the NEC and the national working committee.
ANC staff representative Mandla Qwane said the ANC undertook to pay salaries by the end of November.
A meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday between staff representatives and the ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile, deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte as well as party management.
Qwane said ANC staff want a response to the memorandum they handed to the party.
“It’s unfair and disappointing for the leadership that they are able to fundraise when it comes to elections and other activities, but when it comes to the welfare of staff they seem not to care,” he said, referring to the Electoral Commission of SA’s revelations that the ANC raised almost R23 million in August and September.
Qwane continued: “There is money, what is not there is the political will to take care of the welfare of staff. If so much was dedicated to elections, a little or a portion of that money could have been given to staff to survive just a week or a month.”
He said ANC staff would fight until their demands were met.
“There are regional and provincial conferences coming, and the national conference… and these require members of staff to do the work that they do on a daily basis,” Qwane explained.
He further said: “We may go back to tools down and it will not be a good thing, not for us and it will not be a good thing for our organisation if it can’t carry on with its activities on a daily basis. That’s why we are saying to the leadership it is urgent that these matters are resolved with the necessary agency they deserve.”
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