ANC running out of money

As members of the African National Congress (ANC) gathered for its mid-term party review in Boksburg on December 8 2025, a group of ANC staffers protested outside the venue over unpaid salaries, a situation that is becoming increasingly common in the party.

Led by National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), picketers confronted the party’s top brass as they entered the Birchwood Hotel over recurring salary and benefits contribution issues.

Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula stated that 90% of staff have been paid and only senior management, including himself, are still waiting for their salaries.

However, protesting workers indicate that junior staff members are also affected, contradicting Mbalula’s claim.

The gathering has exposed the party’s persistent financial troubles, reported multiple times, as the ANC buckles under the weight of its wage bill and the cost of the massive event meant to review the state of the organisation.

Nehawu deputy secretary for the ANC’s Walter Sisulu branch, Dan Semenya, told the Daily Maverick that the issue of unpaid salaries or delayed payments is not limited to this month.

“It’s a recurring issue that the staff has been experiencing,” he stated.

Semenya said that while some staff members have been paid, a significant number have not, and the protest is not solely about unpaid salaries.

There are also issues related to unpaid fund contributions and medical aid, Semenya explained.

Recently, members have reported going to doctors or medical institutions only to be informed that their medical aid has been suspended due to non-payment of contributions.

Their frustration now extended to the ANC’s highest office-bearers, with Youth League president Collen Malatji demanding immediate accountability from the Treasurer-General and top leadership, pledging support for the picketing workers.

The ANC emerged as by far the biggest beneficiary of political funding in 2023/24, pulling in more than R1.7 billion in total income.

But civil society watchdog My Vote Counts (MVC) warns that most of the ruling party’s private income remains a mystery.

The ANC’s funding, which dwarfed all other political parties, was split between public and private sources:

• Public funding: R1.19 billion (from the IEC, Parliament, and provincial legislatures)
• Private funding: R527 million, of which only R69 million was disclosed donations and a staggering R413 million (78%) was recorded as “other income” outside the Party Funding Act’s ambit.

News24 reported how, as several luxurious cars drove past the protest on their way to the venue, some employees commented: “Nanga ama millions (Here are the millions).”

Financial woes

 Years of mismanagement have culminated in massive debts, legal battles, and a state of near insolvency, casting a long shadow over the governing party’s stability.

The party’s total debt is reported to exceed R200 million, a situation so dire it was deemed “technically insolvent” in 2017 when its liabilities began to significantly outweigh its assets.

A major point of contention several years ago was a significant R100 million-plus debt to the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

The ANC deducted essential contributions, including Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) taxes, Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), and provident fund contributions, directly from staff salaries but failed to pay these funds over to the relevant institutions.

Supplier debts have also hurt operations. In a high-profile case, the ANC owed R85.5 million to Ezulweni Investments for 2019 election banners.

The failure to pay this debt led to attempts of the seizure of assets from their Luthuli House headquarters and the freezing of bank accounts in October 2025, bringing national operations to a halt until a last-minute settlement was reached.

This financial crunch is now impacting day-to-day governance, with provincial structures reportedly told to fund their own attendance for national events.

The crisis is attributed to financial mismanagement, an unsustainable salary bill, and a decrease in donations following the implementation of the Political Party Funding Act, which requires certain disclosures of private donations.

Mbalula said that he hopes the party can finally resolve the issues. “Given the party that we are, big as we are, we keep facing this particular challenge.”

“It is a challenge that the national executive committee have resolved that we need to sit down after the general council and resolve this matter once and for all.”