Action SA national Chairperson Michael Beaumont says they hope the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) investigation into the African National Congress’s (ANC) R102 million debt settlement will be completed before the 29 May elections.
The IEC on Tuesday confirmed it will concede to the party’s request to investigate how the ANC settled its debt with Ezulweni Investments, in terms of the Political Party Funding Act.
Beaumont says this would assist South Africans in understanding how the debt was settled and whether it was settled lawfully.
He says, “The Act prescribes penalties for any political party that falls outside of its ambit including fines and imprisonment apart from any registered in cases of extreme violations. We may also be looking for violations that fall outside of the Party Funding Act that may be criminal in nature.”
“We’ve learned that Ezulweni Investments is a registered service provider to the state and has received tenders in the past and if it is the case that this debt settlement agreement anyway involves the promise of future state contracts, that would also be unlawful in terms of many other acts that governing the country.”
Full interview with Beaumont:
