Security personnel who ensure safety during major events of the ANC, such as the recent National General Council (NGC), are up in arms over unpaid stipends and unhealthy food they are given while working for the former liberation movement.
Sunday World has seen and heard some of the messages in the WhatsApp group of the ANC protectors. This as frustrations continue to grow that it will be a dark Christmas for the people who protect some of the most guarded public office bearers in Africa.
Others have even thrown in the towel and have told their colleagues that no one was coming to save them.
Delayed stipends, unhealthy fast food
But the unpaid stipends, even for the physically draining NGC early this month, are not the only problem. The personnel are also disgusted by the food they are fed in these ANC events.
Some of them apparently have chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure but are bombarded with junk food such as KFC Streetwise Two when they are on duty serving an organisation they love.
They believe that they are victims of politicians who do not care about the plight of others so long as they are sorted.
“It is a bogus excuse that the ANC finance department has shut down for the festive season. They actually do not close because they continue to make payments for things related to the January 8 Statement festivities coming up next month,” said one of the security personnel in the WhatsApp group, where emotions are running high.
Uncaring attitude by party they love
“What pisses me off is that these people are behaving as if we are just a by-the-way. When we all know we were counted in the budget with other expenditures such as accommodation and other things (for the NGC).
“They do not care, as long as they are sorted. The attitude is so bad that they think they are the only humans who matter. If you do not care about your people, you are not a good leader,” continued the man known to this publication but who remains masked because of the risk of victimisation.
“They keep feeding us KFC. How on earth do you feed people with high blood pressure and cholesterol issues with such unhealthy food? Why can’t they buy us decent meals? First of all, that KFC is not even filling. Secondly, even the stipend we quote them for a day’s work is far lower than what we deserve.
“We do so much work. And they behave like we are being unreasonable with our demands.”
Another worker jumped in with their own voice note. He said complaining will not save them because the ANC is sinking financially.
Giving up hope
This volunteer said it was realistic to assume that they might in fact wait for as long as two years to get their stipends.
There was better hope for those who provided security services during the recent ANC Youth League national congress. They might get their money before the parent body pays for the NGC, which took place first.
“We might wait for two to three years because very recently the ANC could not pay its full-time employees. I therefore just do not see them paying us anytime soon,” said the man, sounding defeated.
“Let us forget about the payment. We might get lucky with the Youth League. With the mother body we are likely to wait for two years. Those hoping we will get paid by the ANC before Christmas are victims of hope. Because it is not going to happen. Let us not even fool ourselves that it will happen when it happens, which might be in two years.”
Financial woes continue
The ANC has been rocked by financial difficulties. So bad that full-time employees at its head office did not get paid their November salaries on time. And they were picketing outside the NGC venue on Day 1.
According to our deep throats inside Luthuli House, they have since been paid. But the salaries were processed in trenches, not at once as per normal procedure.
The ANC leadership has not been forthcoming about just how bad the party is in the red. Even the finance report tabled at the NGC was beamed on the projector. This was done without a single delegate getting a copy thereof to control media leaks.
Attempts to get ANC comment were unsuccessful at the time of publishing.
