ANC MP Makhosi Makhosi has joined the Abantu Batho Congress (ABC)
ANC MP Makhosi Makhosi has joined the Abantu Batho Congress (ABC)
Ex-chair of ActionSA in KwaZulu-Natal and ex-ANC Member of Parliament, Makhosi Khoza, has been inducted as the vice president of Abantu Batho Congress (ABC). The announcement was made by the head of the party, Philani Mavundla, at a press conference held at the Zimbali Lodge, situated to the north of Durban, this past Tuesday.
Mavundla has introduced the new appointees who will be a part of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC). Bonginkosi Nxusa, the ex-mayor of eDumbe local municipality from the National Freedom Party (NFP), along with Jackie Shandu, have occupied prominent positions within the ABC party as it prepares for elections. Shandu has taken on the role of deputy secretary-general. The announcement included additional new members: Mbuso Mtshali, Reverend Nhlanhla Gcwabaza, Princess Nonhlanhla Zulu-Dindi, Nduna Ngcobo, and Raymond Letlaka.
Following an internal disagreement, a group headed by ex-national chair Bhungu Gwala apparently sought to oust Mavundla. This occurred post the party’s 2023 national general congress (NGC). Rumors circulated that Khoza might switch to the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, which enjoys support from ex-president Jacob Zuma, before being recruited into the ABC party.
Khoza had a falling out with the ANC in the legislative body after she promised to cast her vote according to her moral judgment during the no-confidence motion against Zuma. Subsequently, she was dismissed from her role as the leader of the Public Service Administration committee and ultimately exited the ANC in 2017. That same year, she established the African Democratic Change (ADeC), a political party from which she stepped down in under twelve months.
In 2021, she was dismissed from her position at ActionSA for reportedly casting a covert ballot alongside the ANC. Mavundla conveyed optimism regarding the recent transformations in the party.
The party said it had incurred significant legal costs from the legal battles it has been involved in since it decided to leave the IFP and work with the ANC in Umvoti municipality, where Mavundla is mayor.
The Pietermaritzburg high court sided with Mavundla’s faction in September 2023, a decision followed by a resolution to expel those in the faction that had “defected”.
The party said the court reaffirmed that decision earlier this month.
“We can confirm that on February 5 the court order given on September 20 was extended indefinitely, allowing the ABC to start campaigning without the threat of a hostile takeover that aimed to hinder our election participation. The agents provocateurs are being dealt with.”
