ANC alleged mattress handout under scrutiny before polls

South Africa’s government corruption watchdog is looking into an allegation that the ruling ANC party handed out state-paid mattresses in election campaigns ahead of general polls on May 7, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela is planning a meeting with the country’s social security agency after a complaint from new opposition party AgangSA.

“AgangSA complained that mattresses were distributed in Valhalla in Cape Town allegedly as part of the ruling party’s election campaign,” her spokesman Oupa Segalwe told AFP.

AgangSA said in January it would complain after the ruling African National Congress’ deputy secretary general Jesse Duarte handed out 300 mattresses to shantytown residents.

The watchdog will also meet with the social development minister on Wednesday following a complaint from the main opposition Democratic Alliance, Segalwe added.

“The DA complained last year that the department of social development was using food parcels to canvas for votes ahead of the municipal by-election in Tlokwe, North West” province, he said.

Madonsela also launched a “preliminary investigation” to test if the electoral commission could hear complaints that the provincial government of Gauteng, the country’s economic heartland, used the same colours as the ANC in branding.

Party bickering is on the increase ahead of South Africa’s fourth national polls since the first all-race elections in 1994.

The ombudsman, a highly respected lawyer, in March ordered President Jacob Zuma to repay part of state-paid renovations worth $23 million to his private home.