ANC presses forward with NGC after settling outstanding manager salaries amidst funding challenges

ANC secretary general, Fikile Mbalula has announced that the party's constant issue of non-payment of staff has been resolved. This comes as South Africa's largest political party, has been grappling with the implications of a new political party funding bill that has severely affected its financial resources.

The recent non-payment, the 4th this year was recently confirmed by Luthuli House general manager Patrick Flusk. It also raised questions about whether the former liberation movement has money to finance 1 600 delegates who will attend the NGC starting next Monday.

On Sunday, while addressing the media ahead of the party's NGC, Mbalula indicated that, while the party has successfully resolved non-payment issues for junior staff, senior management remains unpaid as it navigates an environment of fundraising and financial uncertainty.

"The issue of non payment of staff has been resolved, only senior managers such as myself are left outstanding. All junior staff have been attended to. We are resolving this issue with our fundraising efforts to ensure our staff bill is settled," Mbalula stated.

Last week, ahead of the party's much-anticipated National General Council (NGC), media reports revealed that the party has once again experienced difficulties paying their staff members, with Mbalula indicating that the niggling issue has been exercebated by the political funding bill.

"The political parties funding bill affects us the most because we are the largest party. The model used to fund political parties has had a negative effect in relation to the bigger parties such as the ANC," he added.

The model employed under the new legislation has inadvertently disadvantaged larger parties, creating a pronounced imbalance in the political funding landscape. This has left the ANC, despite its size and influence, facing tightened resources at a critical juncture.