ON Monday, 4 December the ANC found themselves fighting off sheriffs who came to attach their belongings due to an unpaid debt owed to a company called Ezulweni (Pty) Ltd.
Addressing the media on the debacle on Wednesday, 6 December, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the alleged debt was surprising, given their alleged lack of engagement with them.
He said it is imperative for him to clarify the actual state of affairs in this matter by giving the background of where the issue started.
Mbalula said during the 2019 general elections campaign, he was appointed the head of the ANC's elections campaign. His responsibilities included overseeing various aspects of the campaign, including procuring election materials.
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“Contrary to some claims, we engaged a different firm, not Ezulweni, for our election campaign. In 2020, Ezulweni initiated legal proceedings against us in the High Court of Johannesburg, claiming payment for materials used in the 2019 elections, including banners,” he said.
Mbalula said upon learning of this supposed debt, they initiated an investigation to understand its origins and it emerged that two junior staff members, without authorisation from either him or the Mashatile, had been dealing with Ezulweni.
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An investigation revealed unauthorised interactions between Ezulweni and junior staff members, pushing the ANC to seek Constitutional Court intervention to accept a forensic report into evidence.
“Based on these findings, we sought to introduce the forensic report as evidence in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA). However, the SCA dismissed this aspect of the appeal, thus rejecting the entire appeal,” he said.
Mbalula further said that they are now taking this matter to the Constitutional Court, hoping they will accept the forensic report into evidence at this late stage.
“There's no evidence to suggest that Ezulweni was responsible for erecting posters and banners for the ANC during this period. If they did, it was under fraudulent pretenses,” he said.
