‘I Haven’t Been Paid Either’: Mbalula Says ANC Salary Crisis Easing But Doubts Linger Over Finances

Staff relief after payment delays, fundraising pressures, and a party navigating financial reality.

There’s a uniquely South African irony in hearing that even the secretary general of the country’s longest-governing party hasn’t received his salary. Yet that was the message Fikile Mbalula delivered with a straight face this week confirming that salary backlogs at Luthuli House have hit everyone from junior staff to management… including himself.

Speaking at a media briefing ahead of the ANC’s 5th National General Council, scheduled for 8–12 December 2025, Mbalula tried to assure the public that the storm had passed.

“Non-payment of staff has been attended to and has been resolved as we speak,” he told journalists.
“The component of staff that is not paid is management, starting with me.”

For a moment, one could almost imagine the corridors of Luthuli House buzzing with payday sighs of relief. But if anything, the situation raises bigger questions, how did the ANC get here, and can it realistically keep up with a salary bill of R20 million every month?

A Crisis Temporarily Eased, Not Erased

Mbalula insists the crisis has been “handled,” avoiding what would have been an embarrassing staff protest. Reports suggest workers were preparing to demonstrate after November salaries were delayed again, leaving debit orders bouncing and families anxious just weeks before the festive season.

A letter dated 29 November allegedly informed employees that payments would roll out in “staggered phases”, no reason given.
For many staff members, this wasn’t new, February and October saw similar late-payments, and concern is reportedly growing inside the organisation.

Online, reactions were blunt:
“If even SG isn’t paid, what hope for the receptionist?”, one user posted.
Another wrote, “The struggle continues only now it’s debit orders instead of apartheid.”

Humour aside, there’s fatigue in the cracks.

The Money Problem No One Can Ignore

The ANC leadership knows the optics are bad. Salary delays don’t just hurt staff, they dent credibility, morale, and public perception. Mbalula didn’t shy away from the financial elephant in the room: donor funding is drying up.

New political funding laws limit how much individuals can donate. In a landscape where the ANC once a juggernaut of resources, now competes with dozens of smaller parties that operate on leaner budgets, the stretch is visible.

“As you increase your maturity, your staff component increases, and the bill goes up,” Mbalula explained.
“We must work out funding mechanisms for the ANC going forward.”

Translation?
The party needs money, consistently or this problem will return.

Looking Ahead: Stability or Stop-Gap?

For now, staff have reportedly been paid. The planned picket has been called off.
But the broader issue remains: is this a temporary patch or a turning point for the 112-year-old movement that steered South Africa to democracy?

With the next NGC less than a year away and national politics shifting faster than ever, the ANC’s internal financial stability is no small subplot, it’s a health check on the future of the party itself.

Mbalula may laugh off not being paid, but for many employees living month-to-month, it’s not a punchline, it’s survival.

The ANC has weathered bigger storms.
Whether it weathers this one depends not on slogans, but on sustainable funding , something even struggle songs can’t fix.

{Source: The Citizen}

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