The African National Congress (ANC) has quietly withdrawn its urgent court application to unfreeze its bank accounts after reaching a confidential out-of-court settlement with Ezulweni Investments over an R85 million debt.
The ruling party confirmed on Monday that the long-standing legal dispute, stemming from unpaid services rendered during the 2019 general election campaign, has been “amicably resolved.”
“Due to the lifting of the writ of execution, the ANC withdrew its two-part application after our forensic auditor, Mahier Tayob, debated the quantum with Ezulweni,” the ANC said in a statement.
“Both parties agreed to enter into a new settlement agreement, supplanting all others, including the court judgment of November 2023. Its contents will remain confidential.”
Earlier this month, Ezulweni Investments secured an attachment order enabling the sheriff to seize the ANC’s furniture and other movable assets at its Luthuli House headquarters.
The marketing firm also froze the ANC’s bank accounts, citing non-payment for the production of campaign posters and materials used in the 2019 elections.
The ANC had filed an urgent court application to overturn the freezing of its accounts, arguing the move posed a severe financial threat and jeopardised its ability to pay staff nationwide.
This marks the second out-of-court resolution between the ANC and Ezulweni.
In 2023, both parties signed a settlement that included awarding Ezulweni additional campaign work ahead of the 2024 elections.
However, the ANC reportedly defaulted on that agreement, prompting Ezulweni to pursue legal enforcement once again.
With the settlement, the latest court battle has been averted—at least for now.
While the ANC declared the matter closed, the party declined to respond to any further media inquiries, citing the confidentiality of the new agreement.
The settlement comes amid growing scrutiny over the ANC’s financial stability and internal governance.
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