ANC’s alleged vote-buying drama intensifies

Alleged ballot boxes and papers linked to the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) controversial Greater Johannesburg Regional Conference have been discovered at a private residence in Pretoria.

The discovery has reignited allegations of irregularities surrounding the conference that saw the defeat of current Johannesburg Mayor, Dada Morero, and led to the election of a new regional chair, Loyiso Masuku.

Police and officials from the ANC Secretary General’s office descended on the property on 25 January following the discovery of the election materials. 

According to a report from SABC News, the ballot papers were found abandoned in black plastic bags located in a vegetable garden at the back of the house. 

The stash included a significant consignment of documents, specifically result slips for “regional additional members” and ballot papers bearing ANC branding.

ANC officials on the scene expressed shock at the discovery. 

They told SABC’s Samkelo Maseko that the ANC typically signs contracts with election agencies that stipulate strict protocols for where ballots are supposed to be stored, noting that they were definitely “not meant to be at the backyard of a particular individual’s home.”

The house in question reportedly belongs to the owner of EMCA, the elections agency appointed to run the regional conference. This connection has fueled existing suspicions regarding the integrity of the vote.

Former Regional Chairperson and current Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero sent a formal letter of complaint to ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula regarding the conduct of the elections agency. 

In the letter dated January 21, Morero says the Gauteng leadership must respond to complaints about how the electoral committee and its members were appointed, as well as how it ran the conference.

Morero’s correspondence asserted that “the credibility of the elections agency has been severely compromised” and suggested that the entire election process appeared to be “orchestrated with a predetermined outcome”.

He pointed out that the owner of the agency was employed by the City of Johannesburg.

Morero’s complaint detailed that her recruitment occurred between 2019 and 2021 and was overseen by a specific Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC), within whose office she serves as a media specialist.

He further questioned whether the agency had disclosed any relationships with candidates prior to their appointment.

“The severity of the alleged transgressions by the election agency necessitates clarification from the provincial task team regarding their appointment process,” Morero said in the letter.

This is “especially in light of the agency’s conduct, which threatens the integrity of the ANC’s internal democratic processes,” he added.

Official reactions and internal divisions

The discovery contradicts earlier statements by Mbalula, who had previously indicated there was no investigation and “no crisis” in the Johannesburg region.

Despite the gravity of the situation, officials on the scene remained tight-lipped. 

Police officers refused to comment, and ANC representatives, including those from the organising office at Luthuli House, insisted that they could not divulge information until “internal organisational processes” had unfolded.

The regional secretary recently claimed the conference was run “fair and square” and denied any nefarious activities.

These were sentiments echoed by the agency that ran it.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that he is waiting for a detailed report on the discovery of the alleged ballot papers.