ANC NEC candidates ordered to divulge all election campaign financial details

All African National Congress (ANC) members who are campaigning to be nominated and elected for National Executive Committee (NEC) positions have been directed to keep a clear record of all donations they received and all spending on their campaigns.

The directive was sent in a letter dated 2 November 2022, addressed to all ANC NEC members, provincial secretaries, regional secretaries, branch secretaries, and “all ANC members in good standing”, signed by Kgalema Motlanthe, former ANC deputy president and current ANC Electoral Committee chair.

The ANC’s 55th National Conference is due to be held from 16-20 December in Gauteng.

The directive says a complete financial record of “every campaign must be maintained and submitted to the Electoral Committee” and all campaigns must submit detailed financial reports.

In addition, the Electoral Committee has the right to inspect the bank statements of candidates, campaigns and campaign workers, and to “interview members of campaign teams”.

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The letter also stated that all those who are campaigning for NEC positions have to submit details such as the names of campaign managers and fundraisers, campaign budgets with expenditure, sources of donations in kind or funds, and a “full statement of all income and expenditure”.

The information must be submitted no later than Friday, 11 November.

“Failure to disclose and declare the financial records as directed by the Electoral Committee shall be a serious misconduct which could lead to all implicated in being subjected to disciplinary action and disqualified from being candidates for the NEC positions with possible expulsion from the ANC,” reads the letter.

“This shows that the ANC is taking a proactive approach in the ConCourt’s ruling in favour of amaBhungane back in September,” said Robyn Pasensie, a political systems researcher for My Vote Counts. She explained this was in reference to the Executive Ethics Code, which found that members of the executive were not required to disclose any donations made to campaigns for elections into positions within their own political parties. The Constitutional Court ruled this was unlawful and unconstitutional, and Parliament had to amend this within one year.

Read more in Daily Maverick: “Donations to political party candidates must now see the light of day after successful court challenge by amaBhungane”

“This is particularly important as we look to the elective conference and more importantly to 2024,” said Pasensie.

‘Negative campaigning against another candidate’