Treasurer of the ANC, Paul Mashatile, had a lot of explaining to do when he was caught on tape, handing out cash to churchgoers at a campaign rally this past weekend.
The irony of it all was especially triggering for the ruling party’s workers who’ve been picketing for months over unpaid wages.
Watch: Paul Mashatile gifts ANC supporters with cash
Very little context accompanied the video clip that went viral on social media, where Mashatile was seen dishing out lumps of cash to people dressed in ANC regalia.
What's really really wrong with #ANC Treasurer General #PaulMashatile, on campaign for the #Election2021, is now busy dishing money out in church in Vhembe, while #ANC staff are not paid ♂️ ♂️ ♂️ pic.twitter.com/uBJWCgYCeJ
— Thulani Ndaba (@tndaba) September 26, 2021
Mashatile clears the air: ‘We were paying tithe’
This is not the first time a high-ranking member of the ANC has been caught handing out money at a campaign rally. In April 2019, suspended Secretary-General Ace Magashule was reported to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) after he was seen gifting a supporter with R400 to “buy groceries.”
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At the time, the DA had accused Magashule of voter buying, an act that is prohibited and deemed an infringement by the IEC’s Code of Conduct.
With regards to Mashatile, it remains to be seen if any opposition party will report the treasurer’s conduct. However, in his defence, the money he was handing out was for tithe and the people seen accepting it were members of his team.
Here’s how the ANC treasurer tried to clear the air around the viral clip:
“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.
“This is something very common in church where people share money. It was not an attempt to buy votes.”
