Former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, who was fired from the ruling party in June this year, has unveiled his new political party. Magashule who is a former Free State Premier announced the formation of the new political party at the famous Vilakazi Street in Orlando in Soweto today.

UNVEILING HIS PARTY

During the unveiling of the party, Magashule said," "We are here today to announce a new ship for freedom to all South Africans. Come along and join us, those who are weary and politically abused,". He named the party African Congress for Transformation (ACT) and said it’s a people’s party. "We are about people, and we will rise and fall on behalf of the people," he said. Briefing the media, Magashule suggested that the ANC was losing its identity. "There has been a bitter struggle inside the African National Congress for its soul. There have been contradictions over the years for the hegemony of progressive ideas within the ANC. Sadly, we have seen the oldest organisation moving fast towards the right and abandoning its centre-left position. The struggle for the soul of the ANC has witnessed the systematic marginalisation of forces to the left," he said.

FOLLOWS CONSULTATIONS

He said the creation of ACT followed his consultation with fighters, activists and former presidents of the ANC, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Magashule was expelled from the ANC after facing accusations of misconduct and other breaches to the party’s rules. His expulsion came while he was also facing charges of corruption. In 2021, the ANC suspended him from his position as secretary-general of the party after he was charged with multiple counts of corruption, money laundering and fraud. Magashule is also seen as a close ally of former president Jacob Zuma, but his suspension led to him being side-lined from the ANC’s Elective Conference in December last year when Ramaphosa was re-elected as party leader. Former controversial Hawks boss General Berning Ntlemeza is one of the first prominent people to join ACT.