Former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, who was expelled from the party last year in connection with corruption allegations on Friday urged Pietermaritzburg supporters to switch allegiance from the ANC to his newly-formed political party — the African Congress for Transformation (ACT).
Magashule, who was on an election campaign trail in the Pietermaritzburg CBD, is an ally of former president Jacob Zuma — who is currently campaigning for the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.
Zuma is also facing corruption charges.
At Pietermaritzburg’s Sweetwaters Taxi Rank, Magashule urged vegetable vendor and ANC supporter Makhosi Zungu to ditch the ruling party. “The ANC is now a political party representing the interests of private business, its no longer serving the interests of ordinary people like yourself.
When we were in the ANC, we tried to speak out against these new tendencies, but we were kicked out of the party. That’s the reason we decided to form the ACT, a party which is pushing for radical economic transformation
“If you want to see your economic circumstances change for the better you should vote for the ACT,” he said.
When taxi driver Bongani Mlotshwa asked Magashule whether his ACT party had any links to the MK party, the former ANC secretary general said yes. “We are collaborating. So, if you decide to vote for the MK party, it’s still perfectly fine. But should you decide to vote for the ACT, it’s also fine, you would not have wasted your vote,” he said.
Asked by reporters whether he would consider entering a coalition with the ANC after the upcoming general election, Magashule said the ANC was opposed to progressive parties.
“That’s why they expelled us. It is them who said they did not want to work with me. In any case, the ACT and other progressive parties are not planning to enter a coalition — we want to get an outright majority,” he said.
He also defended Zuma’s presidency.
“All these allegations of corruption against Zuma were manufactured by those who wanted to see him removed as the country’s president. They didn’t like his pro-poor policies. They didn’t like the fact that he introduced free tertiary education,” he said.
Magashule will on Saturday take his election campaign to Durban.
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