Africa-Press – South-Africa. The ANC hopes its longstanding inability to pay its staff will be resolved by the end of the week or early next week.
Sipho Mbele, executive director of the Progressive Business Forum – in essence an ANC fundraising mechanism – participated in a webinar by NGO My Vote Counts on party funding on Thursday, in the place of the ANC treasurer general, who was originally expected to participate in the discussion.
Mbele was asked about the governing party’s failure to pay its staff.
“There are internal processes, for instance, employees are represented by organised labour, that’s number one. Number two, for me, it’s an employer-employee matter. We are handling it,” Mbele said.
He said:
He said the Covid-19 pandemic had affected businesses.
“It also reflects the state of our economy in a way. But I can assure you that this matter is being attended to.”
Mbele said he attended an internal meeting on Wednesday morning and “it’s work in progress”.
“I hope very soon, before the end of the week, or early next week, it would have been resolved.”
Wage restriction: Staffers down tools again over unpaid salaries, as ANC budgets R50m for conference
On 19 September, ANC staffers did not report for work and instead protested outside the party’s national and provincial offices across the country.
Most staffers were owed salaries for August and September, while some were owed salaries for July to September.
This has been a recurring issue for the ANC over the past two years, while provident funds and medical aid contributions had also gone unpaid.
The party’s latest communication to staff members stated that salaries might be paid in the coming weeks, depending on donor engagements.
This comes against the backdrop of the ANC preparing for its elective conference in December, which is expected to come with a R50 million bill.
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