ANC taken to court over nearly R40m debt as creditor seeks IEC funds

Who has brought the case and what is being claimed?

According to The Citizen, the application was brought by Eltel Pty (Ltd) owner Asif Casoojee. Casoojee says he supplied election-campaign related services including digital media and technological support to the ANC in the run-up to the 2019 national and provincial elections and has not been paid in full.

According to The Citizen, court papers state the original debt of R24 million has grown to almost R40 million after the addition of approximately R13 million in interest and R2.9 million in legal costs that the ANC allegedly agreed to.

What relief does the supplier ask the court to grant?

According to The Citizen, Casoojee asks the court to order that funds allocated to the ANC by the IEC be diverted to settle the outstanding amount. He also seeks a punitive costs order against the party.

According to The Citizen, the ANC is cited as the first respondent in the application, with the IEC and Deputy President Paul Mashatile in his capacity as the party’s former treasurer-general named as subsequent parties in the papers.

What has Casoojee said about attempts to recover the debt?

According to The Citizen, Casoojee says he made repeated attempts to recover the money over several years and that discussions with Mr Mashatile confirmed the debt but that payments were delayed because of the party’s financial constraints and its reliance on public funding allocations.

“The services were rendered in full and in good faith. The debt has been repeatedly and fully acknowledged by the ANC. To have to resort to court to enforce payment is unfortunate,”

According to The Citizen, that was Casoojee’s statement describing the situation.

How this fits into a broader legal and financial picture

According to The Citizen, the application comes amid broader legal pressure on the ANC over unpaid campaign debts. The Citizen reports that in 2025 the party faced an application for default judgment after allegedly failing to settle more than R20 million for election campaign services provided by Sisonke Consortium and O’Brian Digital, which were involved in the ANC’s 2024 campaign.

While courts weigh specific claims on their facts, it is not uncommon for creditors who cannot recover outstanding fees by negotiation to seek judicial remedies that target a debtor’s anticipated receipts. Those remedies can include applications to attach or direct designated payments, though courts assess each application against legal tests for urgency, the bona fides of claims and competing public or statutory interests.

What are the possible implications if the court grants the relief?

If a court were to order that IEC-allocated funds be used to settle a private creditor’s claim, it could have immediate practical effects on the party’s cash flow for activities funded by those allocations. It may also prompt scrutiny of how public electoral funding is protected from enforcement action and the legal thresholds needed to override designated disbursements. These are general legal considerations and not additional facts about this particular case.

Next steps and what to watch for

According to The Citizen, the urgent application is scheduled for hearing on 27 October in the South Gauteng High Court. The parties named in the papers the ANC, the IEC and Mr Mashatile in the capacity noted will present their arguments when the matter is heard.

According to The Citizen, Casoojee is seeking finality on the debt and a punitive costs order. The Citizen has reached out to the ANC for comment.

Why this matters to readers

The dispute touches on public confidence in how political parties manage finances, the standing of creditors who supplied services in good faith, and the safeguards around electoral funding. While this article reports the steps taken by the creditor and the particulars named in the court papers, the outcome will depend on the evidence presented at the hearing and the court’s legal determinations.

Key facts at a glance

• Claimant: Eltel Pty (Ltd) owner Asif Casoojee (according to The Citizen).
• Amount claimed: Nearly R40 million, up from R24 million after interest and legal costs (according to The Citizen).
• Relief sought: Court order directing IEC-allocated funds to the ANC be used to settle the debt and a punitive costs order (according to The Citizen).
• Respondents named: ANC, IEC and Deputy President Paul Mashatile in his former treasurer-general capacity (according to The Citizen).
• Court date: Scheduled hearing at the South Gauteng High Court on 27 October (according to The Citizen).

For now, the matter is before the courts. The Citizen’s reporting provides the details of the claim as set out in the notice of motion and founding affidavit that initiated the urgent application.