By Howard Feldman, Head of Marketing & People at Synthesis
Over the weekend, the ANC resorted to a crowdfunding initiative to assist them in the payment of employees who have not yet received their salaries. In doing so, they shared a poster on a number of social media platforms, with banking details, asking members of the public and ANC supporters to make contributions to a Nedbank account.
It went swimmingly apparently, with one of the organisers saying: “The public response was very positive, the masses have responded positively.” I can confirm that my response was also more positive than anything else. Positively gobsmacked. Positively outraged. Positively tickled. And positively horrified. I was also positive that this could not be real and that the ANC or someone with a fantastic flair for creative finance was pulling our proverbial leg.
Either that, or at the end of it all, Nandos would step forward to claim the campaign as one of theirs. Finally and only then would it all make sense. And then, because we finally saw the joke, together we would all laugh and laugh.
And laugh.
Only the truth is hardly funny. The ANC, South Africa’s ruling party, is unable to pay its staff. Unable to meet the most basic commitment that it has made to the people it employs. That is not a laughing matter. People who have worked, have every right to be paid. The fact that they are unable to do so, speaks volumes not only about their lack of responsibility and care, but also about their financial incompetence.
It is also no surprise, given the state of the nation, the state of the ANC municipalities and the economy under their watch.
One of the many ironic things about the ANC turning to crowdfunding, is that they seem to have forgotten that that is exactly what they have been doing for years. With the “su casa mi casa” approach that the ANC has had with regard to public funds, it is immensely positive that they have now decided to ask permission before doing so.
The ANC’s embracing of new technology, and specifically a crowd funding approach, demonstrates a certain amount of agility which is impressive. The willingness to embrace the new “4IR” world also opens up a whole new range of possibilities. And one has to wonder if an OnlyFans account for the ANC will be next in their drive to make some fast cash. The best part is that they can do all this from the comfort of their own Nkandlas.
For those not nearly as on trend as the ANC might be, Wikipedia describes it as follows: “ OnlyFans.com is a content subscription service operated over the Internet, based in London. Content creators can earn money from users who subscribe to their content – the ‘fans’”.
According to the New York Times, subscribers – mostly male, straight, gay and beyond — pay models and social media influencers a fee, generally $5 to $20 a month, to view a feed of imagery too racy for Instagram. With that access, subscribers can also direct message and “tip” to get pictures or videos created on demand, according to their sexual tastes.
An ANC OnlyFans account might not be as ridiculous as one would think. Given that one has to be over 18 to vote, this might well be a perfect fit for the party. A by-line to consider could be something like this:
“We have been stripping you for years. It’s time to return the favour!”
Who the ANC would invite to feature on their page, is of course up to them. But it is a bit of a relief that Carl Niehaus is no longer an option.
That the ANC doesn’t seem to feel the shame of asking for crowd funding to pay salaries, speaks to the depth that they have fallen. No longer a proud organisation motivated by the greater good, it has been reduced to a desperate shadow of its former self. Forced to go cap in hand into an already impoverished people of their own creation.
It would be funny. If it wasn’t tragic.
