The Web site of the African National Congress (ANC) is inaccessible for the second week running, with the party claiming the site is down due to maintenance.
This morning, attempting to access anc.org.za brings up a grey screen with the following message: "This Web site is suspended due to non-payment to the service provider."
The ANC uses the Web site to provide information about the history of the party, upcoming events, policy documents, previous and current leader profiles, and branch data.
According to reports, the reason the ruling political party's site can't be accessed is because the service provider is owed millions in outstanding fees.
Business Day reported last week that "a service provider claims the ANC owes it R32.5 million for developing and hosting the party's Web site".
The service provider is reportedly a Cape Town-based company, Unwembi Communications. The company demands the ANC "cough up within the next two weeks or face possible legal action".
When questioned about the outstanding payments, the party's spokesperson Pule Mabe denied the claims, saying the site is "being revamped and that a new service provider had been appointed", the newspaper reported.
It appears Unwembi Communications is facing downtime issues of its own, as attempts to access that Web site have been futile.
The site bring ups a message that reads: "Maintenance mode. Sorry for the inconvenience. Our Web site is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance. Thank you for your understanding."