Ace Magashule, the expelled former ANC secretary-general, has formed a new far-left party named the African Congress for Transformation (ACT).
On Wednesday, Magashule announced the foundation of the new party at a press conference on Vilakazi Street in Soweto.
It is unknown whether the new party has been registered with the South African Election Commission (IEC).
He stated that the formation of ACT was the result of discussions with “fighters,” activists, and former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma.
Former Hawks chief General Berning Ntlemeza was among those who joined the party.
Magashule asserted that there was a terrible struggle within the ANC, with the party drifting away from its roots, and that ACT would be a safe haven for individuals who had been politically “abused.”
He said that some ANC members had invited the ACT leadership to a “cadre assembly,” with the intention of converting some of his former comrades.
He referred to his new party as a “ship of freedom,” piloted by the people and bound towards the “promised land.”
Magashule was expelled from the ANC in June after the party accused him of wrongdoing for illegally suspending President Cyril Ramaphosa.
His expulsion elicited diverse reactions, with some followers vowing to follow the politician wherever he goes next.
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