The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has replaced its long-standing president, Vuyolwethu Zungula. (@ATMovement_SA/Twitter)
The removal of Vuyo Zungula as the president of the African Transformation Movement was driven by internal power dynamics, as some ATM members feared his growing popularity, party sources said.
On Monday, the ATM announced that the party’s founder, Caesar Nongqunga, had replaced Zungula to expand the party’s support base ahead of the 2026 and 2029 elections.
But party insiders claim this narrative is misleading.
In the May 2024 elections, the ATM secured 0.40% of the vote, resulting in two seats in parliament — a slight decrease from the 0.44% it received in the 2019 general elections.
A source said a faction in the ATM opposed Zungula’s leadership, saying that other leaders were worried that he was becoming “too prominent”.
“This is the only explanation that makes sense; it’s about power dynamics, nothing else,” the source said.
The source added that Zungula was not informed about the decision to remove him as president, which is why he has not responded to inquiries from the media, including the Mail & Guardian.
Another source described the decision to remove Zungula as “bizarre” and illogical.
“They just removed him without any prior discussion. That’s why it’s difficult for him to comment on this matter publicly; he’s a disciplined person and will prefer not to speak out about these issues,” the source said.
“This other faction is waiting for him to make a mistake — any mistake — and they could even try to remove him from parliament. So, for now, we must lay low until things settle.”
It is understood that the party’s national executive committee (NEC) reached an agreement to remove Zungula as president last week Friday and later sent a delegation to inform him of the decision.
Zungula is also a member of the NEC but was not present when the decision was taken to remove him from his post.
“As a member of the NEC, Zungula should have been in that meeting when the decision was made,” the source said. “Someone was just tasked with delivering the message to him.”
ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona said Zungula could not attend the NEC meeting because of prior commitments.
“After the meeting, a delegation was sent to speak with the president about the matter, and there was also a meeting with the founder, Professor Caesar Nongqunga.”
He said that the decision resulted from ongoing discussions the party had been having since the 29 May 2024 elections.
“Following the elections, the party met with its structures to discuss how it could grow based on the election outcomes,” Ntshona said.
“That information culminated in an NEC meeting to evaluate the process. The evaluation highlighted two points: one, that our parliamentary advocacy is unmatched, and president Zungula has served the party excellently for seven years; and two, that the time has come to separate the roles of parliamentary advocacy and party growth.”
“When evaluating the seven years, we see that we have not had electoral growth, even though he has been doing excellently. So, we are now saying, let’s change strategy and introduce Professor Nongqunga to focus on party growth, complementing the party leader’s efforts in parliament.”
But another source accused Ntshona of undermining Zungula’s contributions to the party, suggesting that internal issues were at play.
“He’s promoting a narrative that they went to branches, compiled a report after meetings to review the performance of the 2024 elections, and the decision to remove him was based on that report. He’s essentially undermining Zungula’s work by implying he has failed,” the source said.
Ntshona dismissed these allegations, calling them as malicious and probably originating from people not involved in leadership structures or lacking branch support.
“Those people are populists who just want to cause trouble where there is none,” Ntshona said.
He said there has been no resolution to bar Zungula from speaking publicly.
Ntshona further dismissed rumours that uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party president Jacob Zuma had advised the ATM to remove Zungula.
Rumours in MK party circles suggested that Zungula might be considered for its secretary general position following the dismissal of Floyd Shivambu.
Sources in the ATM have said Zungula would continue to lead the party in parliament and would not join the MK party.
In March, the MK party announced in a joint statement with the ATM that they would collaborate in all by-elections leading up to the 2026 local government elections and the 2029 general elections. But ATM members are concerned that the MK party might overshadow the ATM.
The ATM already has a working relationship with the MK party in parliament through the so-called progressive caucus.
Ntshona said Zungula would remain the ATM’s chief spokesperson and “I will speak when he cannot speak”.
“You’re hardly going to see Professor Nongqunga taking interviews and overshadowing President Zungula; that is President Zungula’s space. We want him [Nongqunga] working on the ground with the people, meeting with kings and forming alliances. We want him there.
“President Zungula will remain the face of the ATM; everything remains the same except for overseeing the party’s operations — that will no longer be his responsibility. Advocacy is his, interviews are his, and everything else he was doing, he continues to do without interference.
“Each of these parties retains its independence. There’s no president Zuma telling the ATM what to do, and there’s no ATM telling president Zuma or the MK [party] what to do. We are very much independent in this decision, and it is for the growth of the party by separating the roles in party leadership and parliamentary leadership.”