The end of 2019 also marked the end of the decade and was a busy period for South African politics.
Many political parties were formed, some of which grew by leaps and bounds, while others lost seats in parliament and suffered setbacks along the way.
During the May general elections, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced that a total of 48 political parties had registered to participate in the elections.
Most of them are recently established, suggesting an opportunity to take advantage of voter uncertainty. However, they failed to meet the criteria to attend Congress. But others are still fighting. One party that seems to be doing well is the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
The party was founded in 2013 by Julius Malema and his deputy Floyd Shivambu after they were expelled from the ruling African National Congress. Against all odds, the EFF won over a million votes in his first national election in 2014, giving him 25 seats in parliament and becoming the third largest parliamentary party.
After this year's general election, it almost doubled its presence in parliament, winning about 2 million votes and 44 seats. At the party's recently held National People's Congress, about 4,000 delegates renewed Malema's presidency and Shivambu's mandate as vice president.
“My simple thing is very simple to be elected unopposed or always be elected unopposed. I work hard and I don't take anything for granted. I'm going to work on it and make it perfect.'' Attention to detail. I know everything that is happening in this meeting, even if you want to hate me, you will come to accept no, but it doesn't matter what we think of him, so I I'm not a dictator, I'm a hard worker. ” Malema.
Another party that split from the African National Congress (ANC) was the Congress of the People (COPE), which was formed in late 2008 after its leader, Mosiua Lekota, left the ANC to protest the ouster of former president Thabo Mbeki.
When COPE first entered elections in 2009, it received more than 1.3 million votes.
However, the party's promising start was quickly derailed by a bitter leadership contest between Lekota and former deputy Mbazima Shirowa, damaging the party's credibility.
The party received less than 1% of the vote in May's national election. Lekota recently raised eyebrows with unexpected expressions of support for racist singer Steve Hoffmeyer and the alt-right group Afriforum.
As a result, factions within the party are reported to be planning to table a no-confidence motion against Lekota at a meeting of the party's national executive committee to prevent him from returning to parliament.
“I can’t tell you how many times I read this obituary about the People’s Congress, but we are here, we are still here, and after these elections, we are better than many of these people. I can promise you it's going to get even bigger.'' I'm writing these articles about how COPE is going to die. Yes, we have a secret. First of all, we are speaking to all South Africans. We're talking to black people, white people, everyone. There's no part of society where we haven't appealed to them and explained to them what we can do, what we're doing wrong, and why we're corrupt,” Lekota said. .
The poor performance of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in the 2009 elections led to the creation of a breakaway party, the National Freedom Party (NFP). The party, led by former Zululand county mayor Zanele Kamagwaza-Msibi, won six seats in parliament after the 2014 election.
Magwaza-Msibi was later appointed Deputy Minister of Science and Technology. In 2016, she suffered a stroke and since then her party's support has declined, as has its current two parliamentary seats.
Mr Magwaza-Msibi was re-elected unopposed at the party's recent conference in Ulundi, despite threats from disgruntled MPs to cancel the conference. “We need people who still believe and accept that Kamagwaza Msibi is still the president of the NFP, I think they are on the other side of the road from where I sit, to accept that. We want to build unity with people who don't have one,” said Jeremiah Mavundla, vice president of the party.
Andile Mngsitama founded his own political movement, Black First Land First, in 2015 after being expelled from the EFF.
Perhaps the most controversial party, the party has often been in the news for its most outlandish and racist statements, mainly by its leader Mugushitama.
When it announced it would take part in May's national elections, it received mixed reactions, with some political parties threatening to object to its inclusion on the ballot.
The party received just under 20,000 votes, failing to meet the criteria for entry into parliament. The movement suffered a further blow when it was deregistered as a political party after the election.
The electoral tribunal found that it had violated election laws that prohibit restricting membership on the basis of race.
“This is unfortunate because when you have economic power, you also control politics. Of course, if the people in the political arena are as revolutionary as our movement, Unless there is an understanding that the movement is revolutionary, uncompromising and purposeful.''I'm not interested in Louis Vuitton or Range Rover. We want the land, and we want the freedom and dignity of our people, that's why we're excluded from the political arena, that's the only reason Black First Land First is considered dangerous. is. It is a black agenda and we will not compromise on it,” Magshitama said.
And of course, there's Patricia de Lille, affectionately known as “Aunt Pat.” Mr de Lille recently parted ways with the Democratic Alliance (DA) after a highly public and bitter battle that saw him leave the Cape Town mayor's office.
She quickly formed a new party called the GOOD Party, which secured two seats in parliament after the May elections.
“We are very grateful for the votes we got and we would like to thank South Africa. For us, this is a victory because we are only four months in and we We're busy laying the foundations to continue to grow for the next two years leading up to 2021. So that’s the start.”
Another political party led by women is Agang SA, founded in 2013 by anti-apartheid activist Dr Mampela Lampele.
Ramfel left the party in 2014, shortly after Aghan won two seats in the National Assembly in that year's elections. Since then, Andries Truamma has been the only visible Agan representative.
What is noteworthy is the number of religious parties that have entered politics in the past decade, with the church hoping to convert its number of believers into political power.
One such party is the African Movement for Transformation (ATM). The party was founded in 2018 by the South African Council of Christian Redeemer Churches and is led by Vuyolwethu Zungula.
It is best known for its high-profile member, Mzwanele Manyi, and there have been reports that he has suspected ties to former president Jacob Zuma.
“We have nothing to do with the former president. We are a political party formed to defend and advance his interests for the people of South Africa. I find it very interesting because… Probably many political parties opposed the ANC at launch, for people to actually take the time to talk to us and understand why you were formed and what many are offering the country. We at ATM are not against anyone, including the ANC. We are on the side of the people of South Africa,” says Mani.
The Patriotic Alliance was formed in 2013 by ex-convict-turned-businessman and self-help author Gayton McKenzie to focus on people of color red. The party reportedly appealed to its partisan base on the line: “Too black under apartheid, too white under the ANC.”
Although he performed poorly in the 2014 national elections, he played an important role in politics in Nelson Mandela Bay, leading to a standoff between the EFF and the DA over the ouster of former mayor Athol Trollip.
“No one is worried about us, one rhino dies, six colored die, they only worry about the rhinos, that's the first thing we do to stop gangsterism.” We're going to give people title deeds, we're going to make sure that no one can be evicted.'' We're already in the Western Cape. That's the number one thing we're trying to do. “Because when you evict people, you're giving power to gangs, and no one is saying the jobs we're creating entrepreneurs for,” McKenzie says.
Other parties worth noting because of their famous founders include ADeC, founded by former ANC MP Dr Makosi Khoza. The African Content Movement was founded by former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng. The Socialist Revolutionary Workers' Party, founded by the South African National Union of Metalworkers and the South African Capitalist Party. Also known as the Purple Cow Party, it was founded by Kansang Pillay, who was recently fired from eNCA over allegations of censoring stories and his management style. Author – Nomalizo Mandela
