Latest news with #VuyolwethuZungula
Mail & Guardian
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
Zungula removed as ATM leader because of his ‘growing popularity', say party insiders
The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has replaced its long-standing president, Vuyolwethu Zungula. (@ATMovement_SA/Twitter) The removal of On Monday, the ATM announced that the party's founder, But party insiders claim this narrative is misleading. In the 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 '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 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.'
The South African
2 days ago
- Politics
- The South African
African Transformation Movement: Party rings in leadership changes
The African Transformation Movement executive committee named Professor Caesar Nongqunga as its new president. Vuyolwethu Zungula, the former president, focuses on legislative duties to increase national visibility before the 2026 local government elections. Professor Caesar Nongqunga founded the political party and is the chief apostle of the Twelve Apostles Church in Christ. His work, leading housing and community programmes, shapes the party's strategy based on faith. The organisation claims the change in leadership is to get more support from the ground up before the upcoming elections. Analysts warn that mixing religion and politics could be a threat to South Africa's secular framework. Vuyolwethu Zungula is no longer the political party's president, but he is still influential in Parliament. He supports laws that limit foreign interference, is against unregulated immigration, and supports land reforms. On 9 June, SABC News confirmed that Zungula is still dedicated to pushing the movement's policy agenda in the National Assembly. Political experts say that this separation of powers is meant to make both campaigning for office and parliamentary influence easier. According to political reporter Natasha Phiri, Professor Nongqunga's primary objectives are to re-establish ties with the faith-based organisations and increase visibility at the local level. Critics wonder if this structure could cause confusion within or make it harder to hold people accountable. Spokesperson Zama Ntshona clarifies that the division of leadership positions is done to simplify the organisation's operations. The move is a political strategy to improve electoral success and institutional focus in 2026. The African Transformation Movement's recent deal to work with the uMkhonto we Sizwe political party has raised questions about politics. According to Natasha Phiri of SABC News, both sides will back each other's candidates in the upcoming by-elections. Even though a coalition could improve regional performance. Coalition talks must be open and honest to keep the public's trust. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news
IOL News
2 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
ATM appoints Professor Caesar Nongqunga as president amid leadership restructuring
ATM party leader Vuyolwethu Zungula has been appointed to only focus on the party's parliamentary work, while its new president, Professor Caesar Nongqunga, will focus on growing the party's support base. Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers Senior clergyman Professor Caesar Nongqunga is taking over as the new president of the African Transformation Movement (ATM) without being elected to the position because the party believes that electing its leaders instead of appointing them would harm it. Nongqunga, the leader of the Twelve Apostles' Church in Christ, which has over 4.5 million followers in South Africa and with footprints across the continent, is taking over the ATM presidency from Vuyolwethu Zungula, who will now only focus on parliamentary duties. Zungula was appointed as the ATM president when it was formed and registered in 2018. The ATM has already held several congresses, but not to elect its leaders. 'The ATM has used the system of appointment since its inception in 2018 because the system of elections, when the party is in its infancy, kills the political party,' said its spokesperson, Zama Ntshona. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ He said the ATM had learnt that there would be people who would masquerade as members of the party but whose actual interest is to divide it after being elected. 'When we are going to an elective congress, they can use underhanded tactics and even hand over the party to the capitalists that fund the rise and fall of regimes. 'Therefore, we wanted to protect ourselves from those people by choosing the system of appointment,' he said. The party, which in the 2019 and 2024 general elections obtained two seats in the national Parliament, announced on Monday that Zungula would now only be focused on parliamentary matters, while Nongqunga focused on building the party brick by brick. Ntshona on Tuesday said that the decision to restructure party leadership was because it has not grown fast enough. 'We don't have time anymore, time is against us,' said Ntshona. He said that after last year's May 29 general elections, the party went through the process of self-evaluation. He said during this process, the party concluded that 'Zungula was truly untouchable' as an exemplary parliamentarian despite having taken over the party leadership with no political background, having been a former 'church boy'. 'He was able to hold a seventh-year presidency in Parliament, and he did this with distinction,' he said. Ntshona said Zungula would now have to focus his energy on holding the government accountable for its failure to deal with social ills that are ravaging the country. 'From 2023, there were 4,500 people who were abducted for ransom in South Africa, close to 80 murders a day, and 20 million people who are subject to abject poverty, with close to 70% of the youth unemployed, and the economy is not growing. 'We have moved in the last seven years, but we have not moved significantly enough to stop all the issues that we keep raising in Parliament,' he said. Ntshona said the party then decided to decentralise its political functions 'so that we can be more effective'. 'We have fewer seats while there are more portfolios in Parliament, and we have the president (Zungula) having to bear the burden of also having to monitor the functionality and the growth of the party of which we felt like it is a bit too much. 'We said let us introduce this approach of Vuyo Zungula to continue doing that as the party leader in Parliament, while Professor Nongqunga, who is the visionary as the one who started the ATM, stops working behind the scenes,' said Ntshona. He said everything that the party had been doing since its inception was in collaboration with Nongqunga, who, while not seen being active in the party's affairs, worked behind the scenes from strategy to advocacy, including building houses and starting agricultural schemes for the poor. 'We are saying (Nongqunga) come out of the shadows and be on the right-hand side so that our plane can fly without any challenges because we are looking for faster growth, and the faster growth can come when we decentralise the office of the president,' said Ntshona.
Mail & Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
African Transformation Movement replaces president in bid to grow party
The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has replaced its long-standing president, Vuyolwethu Zungula. (@ATMovement_SA/Twitter) The The party on Monday confirmed the appointment of Nongqunga, the Chief Apostle of the Twelve Apostles' Church in Christ, as the new president of the ATM. Zungula, who co-founded the party and has led it since its registration in 2018, will remain in his position as parliamentary leader. ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona said the decision was aimed at separating organisational and parliamentary responsibilities to help the party expand its reach. 'This is a strategic move by the national executive committee. We hope it will help the party gain more followers and strengthen both our parliamentary and grassroots structures,' he said. Ntshona said the division of power would enable Zungula to focus on the party's image in parliament, and he would remain the face of the party during elections. Nongqunga was instrumental in the formation of the ATM and has long been associated with the party's messaging around morality, community upliftment and religious values. Ntshona said his appointment is part of the ATM's intention to further embed its presence in communities through a faith-based and service delivery-driven approach. The party praised Zungula's contributions during his seven-year tenure, saying he had 'led the ATM with unwavering dedication' and played a key role in advocating for the downtrodden and voiceless in parliament. The leadership reshuffle comes amid stagnant electoral performance for the ATM. In the 2019 general election, it secured 0.44% of the national vote and in the 2024 polls, it garnered 0.4%. Despite maintaining its two seats in the National Assembly, the ATM has failed to expand its electoral footprint. This plateau in support is viewed internally as a sign that the party must recalibrate its strategy, especially in an increasingly competitive political landscape shaped by voter fatigue and the rise of new political formations such as the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party. The ATM said it hopes that appointing Nongqunga will reinvigorate its grassroots appeal and offer a 'fresh direction' ahead of the 2026 local government elections. He holds multiple qualifications, including a Doctor of Theology, a Doctor of Religious Education and degrees in civil engineering and business administration. His track record includes initiating agricultural projects, funding education for disadvantaged learners and creating job opportunities in rural areas. The ATM hopes this will resonate with voters who are increasingly disillusioned with political parties. The ATM has pockets of support in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Nongqunga's appointment comes amid a broader shift in South African politics, where smaller parties are positioning themselves to take advantage of voter fatigue with the ANC and disillusionment with coalition instability in metros. Ntshona said the leadership handover was about playing to the strengths of both leaders. 'We believe Professor Nongqunga's community-driven leadership style will complement honourable Zungula's strong legislative voice,' he said. The move follows criticism of Zungula by party members over his announcement that the ATM would campaign alongside the MK party in next year's local government elections to attract more supporters. Fears from ATM insiders are that the party will be 'swallowed' by the MK party. They used the relationship between the ANC and the In March, 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 ATM already has a working relationship with the MK party in parliament through the so-called progressive caucus. At the time Zungula told the
