ANC goes hi-tech to check members

The ANC is rolling out a new electronic membership system in its regional offices countrywide to help deal with membership rigging.

ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize last week announced that the ANC had printed 1.2 million membership cards and was doing away with the old system of membership forms to verify the status of members.

ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said new equipment being delivered to all regional offices would enable administrators to upload membership data into the system for all to see.

This comes as the party is awaiting outcomes of a First National Bank (FNB) forensic investigation into how widespread rigging of ANC membership forms was. It was alleged that bank employees backdated forms, allowing new members to qualify to take part in ANC meetings and contest elections.

Mabuyane said the card would remain with its owner for life but data would be updated every time the member renewed membership status.

With the new system, members will have to pay a deposit at a bank and return with the slip to have the information captured in the system.

“The old system of keeping hard copies of membership forms created space for fraud and secretaries to do gate-keeping and solely decide on who should be a branch member and who should not.

“That is history now because every member will keep his own card and where he has an issue, he can call the region, the province or national office for that matter and verify his membership status,” said Mabuyane.

The new system also comes while the party is battling to deal with a significant drop in its membership.

In 2012, the ANC had a target of recruiting new members to reach the one million mark.

By the 2013 centenary celebrations, the party announced it had reached the target but at last month’s national general council in Gallagher Estates, the ANC had only 769870 registered members, a drop of 450187.