The African National Congress (ANC) has been given until tomorrow to pay a KwaZulu-Natal-based event company over R100 million or face liquidation. Yesterday, the sheriff of Gauteng High Court went to the party's headquarters at Sauer Street in the Johannesburg CBD to seize the assets at Luthuli House. This was after an events company Ezulweni Investments attached the party's accounts and other physical assets, to try and recover the R102 million owed to them by the ruling party for the election campaign banners they did for them ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) dismissed an application by the ANC against Ezulweni Investments last week. The party through its secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said that they were still studying the decision by the SCA and that they were preparing to appeal the ruling. Nine judges from three different courts have ruled that the company had a binding contract with the ruling party. Ezulweni previously sought to seize assets from the ANC after the party refused to pay. On Monday the sheriff of the high court was prevented by the security officers from entering the Luthui House, despite two judgments in the company's favour. The ANC applied to the SCA for leave to appeal that ruling, but the appeal was dismissed. It reinstated the appeal which was heard in early November. On 23 May, the ANC was issued a writ by the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg which ordered the "execution of movable goods of the debtor, the ANC headquarters, at Luthuli House to cause the realisation by public auction, of R102 465 000, together with the interest of 10.25% per annum from 9 May 2019 to 31 August 2020". 

Before the SCA heard the matter, Ezulweni won two cases against the ANC. The first is the main application seeking R102 465 000 in 2020 and the second is an appeal in 2022. The company argued that the ANC owed them money after it supplied the party with campaign materials before the 2019 election. The agreement stemmed from discussions between the company owner, Renash Ramdas, and two ANC staffers. In May, Mbalula said the ANC saw the case as an example of fraud. When the contract was agreed to, he was the ANC's head of elections.