ANC stalwart and former presidential contender Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has alleged that ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula openly distributed money in exchange for votes during the party’s 2022 national elective conference.
Speaking during an interview with former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi on the African Renaissance podcast, Dlamini-Zuma said money had become a defining feature of ANC leadership contests and claimed delegates openly witnessed cash changing hands during the conference that elected President Cyril Ramaphosa to a second term as party leader.
Reflecting on her unsuccessful bid for the ANC presidency in 2017, Dlamini-Zuma said she initially believed she would win but later concluded that money had played a decisive role in internal party contests.
“I thought I was going to win but maybe money, I don’t know,” she said.
She recalled allegations that surfaced during that elective conference, saying they were never meaningfully challenged.
“You remember there was also a voice thing from Lamola saying they’re waiting for the money because this NDZ thing is going to disturb if the money doesn’t come.”
Asked what that said about the ANC leadership that emerged from the conference, Dlamini-Zuma replied that money had increasingly influenced leadership contests within the governing party.
“Since then money has played a big role in the ANC.”
Dlamini-Zuma alleged that during the ANC’s 2022 national conference at Nasrec, Mbalula openly distributed money at a clinic to secure his election as secretary-general and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s re-election as ANC president.
“You remember there was money that was found in somebody’s room, half a billion, on the first day of the conference,” she said
“Mbalula was dishing out money in the clinic. So money has played a role in the ANC.”
When Ndlozi asked whether it had happened openly, she replied:
“Yes openly, it wasn’t like a secret. Money was used, we all know and we all saw it.”
She said people working at the clinic would be able to corroborate her claims.
“If you ask anyone who worked at the clinic at the time, they’ll tell you.”
She added that media organisations had also reported allegations of vote buying during the conference.
“The media reported it, so it’s not something like I’m revealing a secret.”
In addition, Dlamini-Zuma said that money had become increasingly influential in determining who leads the ANC.
“Money is playing a big role in the ANC in choosing leadership.”
Her remarks are significant given her standing within the ANC.
Dlamini-Zuma has been one of the party’s most senior leaders for decades and has served in Cabinet under every democratic president since 1994, holding portfolios including Health, Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs before later serving as chairperson of the African Union Commission.
Under Ramaphosa, she returned to government as Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.
She has also served for decades on the ANC’s National Executive Committee and unsuccessfully contested for the party’s top leadership on more than one occasion, most notably losing the ANC presidency to Ramaphosa by a narrow margin at the party’s 2017 national conference.