Former South African President Jacob Zuma and ex-ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, both tainted by corruption allegations, have joined forces, announcing a political alliance ahead of the 2024 elections.
Zuma, aged 81, and Magashule, 64, disclosed plans for their joint political future, unveiling the “Magashule Zuma United Front.”
This collaboration, marked by the formation of separate parties, signifies a departure from traditional politics towards a more inclusive approach, according to Magashule’s party, the African Congress for Transformation (ACT).
The alliance’s emergence could further weaken support for the beleaguered ANC, facing challenges in the polls with the possibility of its vote share falling below 50 percent for the first time since 1994.
“Based on the current political climate, the announcement could be detrimental for the ANC because they don’t have much time left until elections,” Hlengiwe Ndlovu, a lecturer at the Wits School of Governance in Johannesburg, told the newsmen.
“Despite the two leaders being scandal-tainted, we know that the voters in poor communities don’t really care.”
Last month, Zuma drove a new split in the ANC, vowing to campaign and vote for the new Umkhonto We Sizwe party, or Spear of the Nation, named after the ANC’s old military wing, which he was part of in the apartheid era.
The former head of state, who has never hidden his bitterness at the way he was pushed out of office, pointedly told a press conference that “it would be a betrayal” to campaign for the ANC under his successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Magashule, a former premier of the Free State province, was kicked out of the ANC last year over graft accusations but remains popular with parts of the left-leaning electorate. He formed the ACT in August.
