ANC rejects allegations of covert election campaign
The ANC has rejected media reports that the organisation conducted or sought to conduct a "R50 million covert campaign targeting opposition parties" during the 2016 Local Government Election.
This comes after businesswoman Sihle Bolani launched an urgent application in the High Court in Johannesburg claiming the ANC owed her R2.2 million for work done during this covert campaign.
Bolani's application has been struck off the roll.
ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa says the ANC rejects any allegation that the organisation owes any money to any company purporting to run such a campaign.
"The ANC has always been and remains committed to running clean campaigns in all the elections we have participated in since 1994. This is because of our utmost confidence in the superiority of the ideas of the ANC, working with our people, to improve their lives for the better," says Kodwa.
Kodwa says the ANC does not need, nor has it ever engaged, in any clandestine "black ops" to woo voters.
"The ANC once again reiterates that Ms Sihle Bolani, Messrs Joseph Nkadimeng and Shaka Sisulu et al were not contracted or mandated by the ANC or any of its structures tasked with the communications work of the organisation in the 2016 Local Government Election. Their activities were not sanctioned by the ANC and consequently, we distance ourselves against any insinuation that any such campaign was known to or approved by the African National Congress," says Kodwa.