South Africa – election commission holds fire over ANC covert campaign funds

The Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) is taking a wait-and-see approach in determining whether the ANC has violated the electoral code of conduct.

Allegations surfaced in court papers this week that the party had planned to spend R50m on a covert campaign targeting opposition parties such as the DA and EFF during the August local government elections.

The IEC said on Wednesday it had noted that the ANC had “strongly denied” the allegations. “These claims are contained in sworn affidavits which form part of an active civil court case and the commission believes this legal process should be allowed to be concluded and that it would be premature to comment on such allegations.”

Should the circumstances require it to take further action it would “not hesitate” to do so, the commission said.

Public Relations consultant Sihle Bolani approached the High Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday with an urgent application to claim money she said was owed to her by the ANC for work she had done for a “black-ops” unit. The court, however, decided the case was not urgent and struck it off the roll.

ANC activist Shaka Sisulu, the grandson of ANC stalwart Walter Sisulu, has been named as one of the alleged figures at the centre of the unit.

Sisulu denied this, but admitted to working with Bolani as part of a media team. He denied there was a covert unit in the ANC. “I neither possess the skill nor the knowledge of what a ‘black-ops’ operation is.”

ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa on Tuesday said the party was prepared to “prove on merit” in court that Bolani had not done any work for it.