The fate of dozens – or possibly far more – Buffalo City Metro ANC members whose bank forms were backdated is now in the hands of the party’s regional executive committee.
This follows an admission by a First National Bank official in a letter addressed to an ANC branch in BCM dated July 6.
In the letter the bank admits that forms of several ANC members who paid their membership fees at the bank’s Mdantsane branch were dated October 21 last year instead of May 21 this year.
The date of joining is vital for ANC voting and candidate rights at the party’s elective congresses, as no one is allowed to attend a conference as a delegate until they have been a member for six months.
Neither can a member be elected to an executive office until they have been a member for two months.
ANC regional chair Zukisa Faku confirmed yesterday that the office received the letter from FNB, and described it as a “bad situation”.
“Our branches are complaining about the membership forms backdating, it’s just a bad situation ... comrades have alerted me to the letter ... but we have not yet discussed it as the region.
“We will be able to comment ,” said Faku.
The Daily Dispatch has seen the letter from First National Bank Mdantsane branch administrator Zanele Nduna to the ANC branch executive committee (BEC) of Ward 2, which includes parts of Duncan Village.
In the letter, Nduna admits that branch fees paid in May this year had been wrongly stamped to show they were paid in October last year.
“This letter confirms that the ANC deposit forms dated October 21 2014 were incorrectly date stamped as the deposit forms were processed on May 21 2015.
“Therefore, the correct date that should have been placed on the forms is in actual fact May 21 2015,” the letter reads.
The admission follows a Saturday Dispatch report that exposed how memberships were being rigged leading up to branch general meetings. Several ANC branches complained to the provincial and national offices, accusing now- suspended ANC regional secretary Pumlani Mkolo of masterminding the rigging.
They alleged that behind him was a network of branch secretaries working closely with a bank employee to run a scam of backdating membership payments, forging signatures, doctoring bank deposit slips and inflating branch memberships in order to consolidate Mkolo’s position.
A letter to ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte from Washington Bongco branch in King William’s Town alleges that an FNB employee – whose name is known to the Dispatch – used her position at the bank to doctor bank statements and deposit slips, backdating the stamp on the forms by at least six months.
At the time Mkolo dismissed the allegations as part of a smear campaign by those who wanted to contest against him in the coming regional leadership elections.
“The allegations are not new.
“It is just conference fever,” he said at the time.
FNB spokeswoman Lee-Anne van Zyl said: “FNB views the allegations in a serious light. There’s an ongoing investigation and the bank will take appropriate action to address any wrongdoing.” — siphem@dispatch.co.za
ANC to mull membership form scam
This follows an admission by a First National Bank official in a letter addressed to an ANC branch in BCM dated July 6.
In the letter the bank admits that forms of several ANC members who paid their membership fees at the bank’s Mdantsane branch were dated October 21 last year instead of May 21 this year.
The date of joining is vital for ANC voting and candidate rights at the party’s elective congresses, as no one is allowed to attend a conference as a delegate until they have been a member for six months.
Neither can a member be elected to an executive office until they have been a member for two months.
ANC regional chair Zukisa Faku confirmed yesterday that the office received the letter from FNB, and described it as a “bad situation”.
“Our branches are complaining about the membership forms backdating, it’s just a bad situation ... comrades have alerted me to the letter ... but we have not yet discussed it as the region.
“We will be able to comment ,” said Faku.
The Daily Dispatch has seen the letter from First National Bank Mdantsane branch administrator Zanele Nduna to the ANC branch executive committee (BEC) of Ward 2, which includes parts of Duncan Village.
In the letter, Nduna admits that branch fees paid in May this year had been wrongly stamped to show they were paid in October last year.
“This letter confirms that the ANC deposit forms dated October 21 2014 were incorrectly date stamped as the deposit forms were processed on May 21 2015.
“Therefore, the correct date that should have been placed on the forms is in actual fact May 21 2015,” the letter reads.
The admission follows a Saturday Dispatch report that exposed how memberships were being rigged leading up to branch general meetings. Several ANC branches complained to the provincial and national offices, accusing now- suspended ANC regional secretary Pumlani Mkolo of masterminding the rigging.
They alleged that behind him was a network of branch secretaries working closely with a bank employee to run a scam of backdating membership payments, forging signatures, doctoring bank deposit slips and inflating branch memberships in order to consolidate Mkolo’s position.
A letter to ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte from Washington Bongco branch in King William’s Town alleges that an FNB employee – whose name is known to the Dispatch – used her position at the bank to doctor bank statements and deposit slips, backdating the stamp on the forms by at least six months.
At the time Mkolo dismissed the allegations as part of a smear campaign by those who wanted to contest against him in the coming regional leadership elections.
“The allegations are not new.
“It is just conference fever,” he said at the time.
FNB spokeswoman Lee-Anne van Zyl said: “FNB views the allegations in a serious light. There’s an ongoing investigation and the bank will take appropriate action to address any wrongdoing.” — siphem@dispatch.co.za
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