Former African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Ace Magashule made bold claims during his new party’s walkabout on Pietermaritzburg Church Street this weekend.
Confident in his party’s prospects, Magashule expressed his belief that they would emerge victorious in the upcoming elections and declared that no election rigging would stand in their way.
Addressing the crowd, Magashule stated, “We’re going to win the elections, we’re very confident. There’s not going to be any rigging of elections.
“Our eyes are going to be open because we know. I’ve been part of the ANC; we know what’s going to happen. All these black parties, we have met and agreed that we’re not going to allow any elections to be rigged,” as reported by Newsroom Afrika.
However, when asked if he had rigged the elections while still in the ruling party, Magashule quickly responded with a “no” before criticizing the government for the implementation of the R350 Sassa SRD grant during his tenure as ANC secretary-general.
Magashule expressed his concerns, saying, “No, we did not rig the elections, but you see what the ANC is saying? He [Cyril Ramaphosa] says if ANC is not in power, people are not going to get their social grants, people are not going to get R350.
“So, R350 is meant for black people? Black people must live on R350? How much is food? Can you spend R350 the whole week?”
He continued, “So, millions of our people are receiving R350? Because we’re black, our color is something else. The ANC needs mental consciousness, move away from black consciousness and have mental consciousness. Our people need mental consciousness; they need not to be deceived and lied to about people being corrupt.”
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In August, Magashule launched his new far-left party called the African Congress for Transformation (ACT) following his expulsion from the ruling party in June. He had been charged with misconduct by the ANC for illegally suspending President Cyril Ramaphosa.
On Friday, Magashule’s party announced its alliance with former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party. The collaboration, known as the “Magashule Zuma United Front,” aims to depart from traditional politics and adopt a more inclusive, people-centric approach, according to the ACT.
