PHUTI MOSOMANE
NEWLY elected ANC Treasurer-General Gwen Ramokgopa says the party’s Presidential Gala Dinner in Mangaung in the Free State has raised R17 million in donations.
The fundraiser was attended by various members of the business community.
Speaking exclusively to Inside Politics on Saturday night, Ramokgopa said the funds raised will assist the cash-strapped organisation in terms of functionality and fulfilling its intended objectives.
“The gala dinner was overwhelmingly successful. I am really humbled, inspired and encouraged by the generosity of corporate South Africa, and my own colleagues from various sectors who came here,” Ramokgopa said on her maiden fundraiser as ANC Treasurer-General.
“About R17 million was raised on Saturday night to help cover the costs and contribute towards operational costs of the organisation.”
For this year, it cost R1.2 million to sit next to President, and thousands of rands more to sit next to the Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
Ramokgopa said the gala dinner was “oversubscribed,” declining to comment on whether this year’s event gathered more support than last years’ one held in Polokwane, Limpopo.
She said this means the ANC’s renewal message is gaining traction, not because it is just talk, but because there is hope.
“The economy is showing signs of growth. Albeit too early, unemployment is also on the decline. This is positive news that we must build on,” Ramokgopa said.
Ramokgopa said the positive contributions made were also due to the fact that the 2023 January 8 rally is being held at the birthplace of the ANC, Mangaung, in the Free State.
The Presidential Gala Dinner, organised by the Progressive Business Forum (PBF), provides a platform for business to network with leaders of the ANC and the alliance, towards growing the economy and reducing unemployment.
During his opening remarks, Ramaphosa said the PBF brings together businesspeople from companies both large and small who share commitment to the fundamental transformation of economy and society.
“We learn from this history that the achievement of a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa requires the involvement of all sections of our society. That is why the Progressive Business Forum is so important to the mission of the ANC,” Ramaphosa told delegates at the gala dinner.
In the past two years, the ANC has struggled to pay for salaries of staff members at its headquarters in Luthuli House in Johannesburg.
The party had to let go some of the skilled employees but towards the end of 2022, the then Treasurer-General, Mashatile, said the party “was managing just fine.”
The newly elected second Deputy Secretary-General Maropene Ramokgopa said all employees with existing contracts were paid in full.
INSIDE POLITICS
