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Sheriff visits ANC headquarters Luthuli House to attach assets
A Ford Ranger worth R100 000, TVs, computers, desks and wall decorations are listed in a notice of attachment from the sheriff.
Headquarters of the ANC, Luthuli House in the Johannesburg CBD, 4 December 2023. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
The ANC’s R102 million debt to Ezulweni Investments became all too real when the Sheriff of the Gauteng High Court rocked up at Luthuli House on Monday morning to demand physical assets from the political party.
Desks, chairs, laptops, plasma TVs, lounge suites, fridges, microwaves, and couches were listed in a notice of attachment in execution shared on social media.
News24 reported that the sheriff left his truck outside while he entered the building. He later came out and drove away without taking anything, though he was legally empowered, and directed, to.
Vehicle, desks, TVs and microwaves
The notice of attachment in execution, dated 28 November, listed assets including a white Ford Ranger worth R100 000, a lounge suite worth R3 020, a plasma TV and two wall decorations together valued at R3 000, as well as numerous computers, desks, chairs, tables, fridges, microwaves and other office equipment.
It reads, “Take note that I have this day placed under judicial attachment the property comprised in the following inventory in pursuance of a warrant directed to me under the hand of the Registrar of the High Court.
“Whereby I am required to cause to be raised of your property in this district the sum of R102 465 costs recovered against you by the judgment of the said court in this action and my charges in respect of the said warrant.”
Nothing taken yet
Some users on social media got ahead of themselves, believing assets had actually been taken.
DA Gauteng leader, Solly Msimanga raised a point of order during the house sitting in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, saying, “In Luthuli House, as we speak, the sheriff is busy taking all the furniture from there.”
His post on X, formerly Twitter, included a video of this with the text “They are clearing out Luthuli House!”
This while Sphelele posted, “That weak-ass sheriff must bring the Red Ants at Luthuli House zivele zikhale once!”
Chairman Nathi Sithole posted a photo of President Cyril Ramaphosa with the text, “Skomota must come back from Dubai and sort out that mess at Luthuli house, we were told he is rich angithi.”
Debt to Ezulweni
Ezulweni supplied the ANC with campaign material for the 2019 elections, but was not paid for its work. It later approached the courts to force the ANC to pay.
The ANC has failed three times to have the matter thrown out of court and decided to take the matter to the Constitutional Court (ConCourt), though Ezulweni Investments’ lawyer Shafique Sarlie said this was a waste of time and resources.
ALSO READ: ANC ‘wasting time, resources and the nation’s breath’ with ConCourt application
“I am very curious about what they are going to put in their application for leave to the ConCourt in terms of Rule 19,” he said.
“The rule says you must have a constitutional matter.
“How can they suggest they have a constitutional matter to take to the ConCourt?
“They must [understand] it is the end of the road for them.
“It’s not a long judgment, they have had the weekend and a few days to do something and they haven’t done anything because they cannot attack the judgment. There is no constitutional matter,” Sarlie said.
ALSO READ: ANC looks to ConCourt: Alleges overlooked forensic report in R102m debt dispute with Ezulweni
‘No money owed’
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said before that no money was owed to Ezulweni.
The ruling comes four years after KwaZulu-Natal-based marketing company saying Ezulweni Investments scored a R102 million contract to supply election posters and banners for the ANC.
While the ANC lost the matter in 2020 and 2022, when the court ruled in Ezulweni’s favour, the party argued that it did not have an agreement with the branding company and staffers involved in the deal had done so without the party’s knowledge.
WATCH: ‘We don’t owe R102m, this is fraud’ − Mbalula on ANC asset attachment
