ATM president, Vuyo Zungula. (@ATMovement_SA/Twitter)
The African Transformation Movement (ATM) will not dissolve or forfeit its independent political status despite a strengthening alliance with uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, said its leader, Vuyo Zungula.
“It was unanimously agreed that there would be no dissolution of any other party. A merger of the parties would mean the dissolution of both parties. In principle, it will depend on how elections are approached,” Zungula told the Mail & Guardian.
“No dissolution, deregistration — both parties continue to exist, have their programmes and, wherever possible, we collaborate.”
Asked whether the parties would be campaigning together in the local government elections next year, Zungula said anything was possible in the context of working together.
Earlier this month, the MK party announced in a joint statement with the ATM that the parties would work together in all by-elections before the 2026 local government elections and the 2029 general elections.
According to the statement, the modalities of the MK party and the ATM working together will be presented to the leadership and membership of both parties in the spirit of building unity among the “progressive forces” in South Africa.
“The MK party and the ATM principally agree that the struggle for total emancipation of the colonised and oppressed people of South Africa is incomplete and needs a unified response and common action,” the parties said.
The ATM already has a working relationship with the MK party in parliament through the so-called progressive caucus.
Members of the progressive caucus include the Economic Freedom Fighters, United Africans Transformation and the National Coloured Congress.
Zungula said there has been no clear agreement on how the parties will work together, but there would soon be a meeting to discuss strengthening their working relationship.
Fears from ATM insiders are that the party will be “swallowed” by the MK party. They used the relationship between the ANC and the South African Communist Party as an example.
There have also been fears among some of ATM members that the infighting in the MK party would spill into their party.
There have been claims the ATM was formed by former ANC leaders such as former secretary general Ace Magashule and former president Jacob Zuma to undermine President Cyril Ramaphosa’s rule because they did not accept the outcomes of the 2017 ANC national conference where he was elected ANC president.
In 2023, the ATM rid itself of Mzwanele Manyi, who is now the MK party’s chief whip and who was also a member of both the ANC and EFF.
“We sat and decided that in principle, let’s work together but the modalities have not been discussed and agreed to at this point,” Zungula said.
“We have got our views, they have their views. I think it is best to wait until there’s a formal meeting where there will be a clear resolution as to the modalities and take it from there.”
He said there would be three representatives from each party to deliberate on the modalities.
Zungula said the infighting in the MK party would not derail the ATM, adding that all organisations have their problems, including the ATM.
“ANC, Democratic Alliance, there’s nothing called an organisation without its challenges. We are hoping and pushing that by working together they become a strength to the challenges and we become a strength to their challenges as well, so that ultimately we get to influence each other positively.”
The MK party has already seen parties including Xiluva, which was led by the party’s now head of elections Bongani Baloyi, deregistering and joining its ranks.
Zungula said there were still no formal talks, but there were discussions with various parties in a bid to convince them to work as a pact.
“The past 30 years have shown that when we are divided, we are unable to make a decisive majority where we can take decisions that will impact positively on the lives of South African citizens.
“The problem we have in South Africa is the system which was negotiated and agreed to in 1994. Our main reason for collaborating with MK is to try to change that system because we don’t want to work in a system that is not designed to work in our favour.”
He added the ATM has been trying to ensure other parties understood this message; that one or two seats in parliament make no difference if they want to try to overhaul the system.
He said there would be parties still taking their time to accept this reality, but others understood.
“You will remember that in 2023 there were meetings with the United Democratic Movement, Pan African Congress of Azania, Azanian People Organisation, EFF, African Congress for Transformation which talked about the state of black people. What we are doing as MK and ATM is just continuing what was discussed in 2023,” Zungula said.
“The general consensus was the issue of elections and having many political parties does hamper our ability to change the system but because it was very close to the elections, it was agreed that after the elections we will go back and revisit this conversation.”