Following a video of ANC treasurer Paul Mashatile was seen handing out money to congregants in Makhado surfaced on Twitter yesterday, he cleared the air and assured there was no wrongdoing.
Paul Shipokosa Mashatile MP. is the former Minister of Arts and Culture in the Cabinet of South Africa.
He said at the time he attended a church service and during tithe offerings, he handed money to his team to contribute as well.
On Sunday morning, Eskom’s former interim group chief executive, Matshela Koko, took to Twitter to publicly lambaste Mashatile’s handing out money following the challenges the ruling party had with the payment of staff salaries.
A tweet shared by Mpho Mathoho reads: “ANC Treasurer, Paul Mashatile handing out money to congregants in Limpopo, where he is doing door-to-door campaign. ANC staffs have not been paid for at least three months now via @PelaneM #Election2021 #ANCLGE2021 [sic].”
Koko retweeted the post and wrote: “This is wrong in so many ways. Mara ke this is the ANC we have come to know of @PaulMashatile and @CyrilRamaphosa. Flaunting cash when your own ANC staff has not been paid [sic].”
But Mashatile quickly defended his actions: “It is not true that I was handing out money to the congregants. We attended a church service in Makhado and during the tithe offering I handed money to my team so that I’m not the only one contributing to the offering,” Mashatile said.
“This is something very common in the church where people share money. It was not an attempt to buy votes,” he added.
The ANC has its eyes set on reclaiming all 38 wards in the Makhado Municipality in Limpopo.
Currently, the ruling party’s official opposition, the DA, runs one ward while the ANC is in control of 37.
Mashatile held a campaign trail in Makhado over the weekend.
He said it was a well-received reception.
“We are putting in all efforts to win the ward back. The biggest challenge the community faces is water. There is an interruption to the supply of water.
“Our motto is ‘Let’s build better communities together so we are saying to the people that we acknowledge the problem of water and we are going to work with them to address this.
“We know there is a challenge of unemployment in many of the areas, but as we roll out infrastructure … whether it is by building dams or schools, we will target the employment of local people,” Mashatile said.
During a campaign trail in Mankweng outside Polokwane, Deputy President David Mabuza said the ANC must shape itself and deliver better services to communities. Issues that communities informed him of include sanitation, water and flooding in homes when it rains.
ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe, who was out and about in the Eastern Cape, said the ANC government must ensure that all South Africans gain access to quality healthcare to enjoy longer, healthier, and more productive lives.
He emphasized that the party should also put in place stricter laws and power institutions to root out corruption as it undermines government’s ability to deliver quality services to the people.
Mantashe further called on ANC councillors to convene regular meetings with members of communities they serve, to consult on council plans and programmes as he said the ANC is the people’s movement.
ANC deputy-secretary general Jessie Duarte was on an election campaign trail in the Western Cape last week.
Duarte called on the ANC Youth League to do their part and bring the young people to vote.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa will officially launch the governing party’s manifesto in Tshwane on Monday.
In compliance with Covid-19 protocols and regulations, the party said less than 500 people would be in attendance at the launch.
It will be followed by localized manifesto launches in the metros and the rest of the local municipalities.
Mashatile flashing cash on campaign trail is ‘punishable by law’
Opposition political parties have called on the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) to act on the Mashatile video, showing him handing out money to Limpopo congregants, which circulated widely on social media.
Said Congress of the People (Cope) national spokesperson Dennis Bloem: “The IEC must urgently look into the matter, because if they don’t act, tomorrow another party will do the same with impunity.
“This is not the first for the ANC.
“In past elections, we have seen the now suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule giving money to a potential voter after being shown an empty fridge during a door-to-door campaign.
“The IEC can’t say they are unaware of the incident, which has also been covered extensively over the weekend by national television – a sign of desperation by the ANC.
“Cope will discuss the matter with the head of its elections and legal department on the next course of action. But the IEC should not wait for legal action by opposition parties.”