Cape Town - Business people who wish to sit next to Cyril Ramaphosa at the ANC Presidential Gala Dinner, ahead of the party’s national elective conference, will have to fork out between R95 000 and R200 000, according to the ANC’s Progressive Business Forum (PBF).
The forum has organised the December 15 event at Nasrec in Johannesburg,
Offered on the PBF’s website are additional “subscription packages” ranging from R5 500 per annum for small and medium-sized businesses to R65 000 for large corporates.
The subscription buys access to “ministerial briefings”, “international trade missions”, “participation in round table discussions” and “exclusive dinners with ANC leaders.
The build-up to the conference has been marred by accusations that Ramaphosa had amassed millions in as yet unaccounted-for US dollars at his Phala Phala farm in Limpop.
The previous conference had also been mired in the CR17 donations and bank statements controversy.
According to a foreword by ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile on the website, the PBF is “mandated to promote and enhance liaison between the government, the ANC and business”.
Mashatile invoked Ramaphosa’s February 2020 State of the Nation Address, when the president said: “Let us frankly admit that the government cannot solve our economic challenges alone.”
Mashatile wrote: “With these words, the president invites business to partner with the ANC government, united to confront the realities of the present-day South Africa and to resolve them by ‘placing the economy on a path of inclusive growth’.
“I encourage all entrepreneurs, business representatives and people of South Africa to become part of the social compact with business, to resolve the challenges of our country together and to ensure that we harness our greatest strengths for the future we can achieve.”
The forum also offers: A “silver” subscription for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMME) “with one or two staff busy establishing itself offering invitations to ministerial briefings and business matchmaking opportunities” and costs R5500.
The R10 000 “gold” package is suited to a “slightly larger SMME with two or more staff and with a slightly more established infrastructure requiring to establish contacts and a name for itself.
Its subscription (includes) all the benefits of the previous subscription level but also offering participation in international trade missions”.
The R15 000 platinum subscription is for a “well-established SMME with three or more staff requiring to upskill staff and with the ability to expand opportunities abroad”.
The R33 000 diamond subscription is bespoke for corporates with staff and several subsidiaries and “growing its name recognition and potential to reach out to decision-makers”.
And the R65 000 honorary “most senior level of” subscription, is tailored for businesses with a “well-established network of ancillary businesses and subsidiaries”.
Attendees would have to pay between R95 000 and R200 000 to rub shoulders with the president as the dinner and breakfast prices are actually separate from the annual packages.
Forum convener Sipho Mbele did not respond to requests and reminders for comment.
Approached for comment, Cape Chamber of Commerce spokesperson Dean le Grange said the Chamber won’t be commenting on the matter.
Eastern Cape Chamber of Business secretary Dr Andile Ntsondo said the packages were meant for multi-millionaires and billionaires only.