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The ANC’s ad hoc commission set up to ascertain whether or not any of its National Executive Committee or other party members had any direct involvement in the establishment of other political parties could likely degenerate into a battle for control over the newly formed African Transformation Movement (ATM).
Disgruntled former member of then African Transformation Congress (ATC), which later changed its name to the ATM, Buyisile Ngqulwana – on whose court applications challenging the legitimacy of the registration of ATM the ANC has basically constituted the ad hoc commission – told City Press yesterday that he would be appearing before the ANC commission set to be led by former president Kgalema Motlanthe.
Among the submissions he will be making will be his firsthand account on his engagements with former president Jacob Zuma and ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule.
“I have met the former president at his Nkandla home twice and while the party was still going by the name ATC, before the name was changed to ATM, I also wrote a letter to the ANC SG Magashule and requested a formal meeting with the party with the desire of forming an alliance with the party,” said Ngqulwana.
City Press saw a copy of the letter, dated May 30 2018.
Ngqulwana, who is also the secretary general of the South African Council of Messianic Churches, fingered Magashule as having played a role in the party contesting against the ANC in the recent national and provincial elections.
He told City Press that it was Magashule who “advised” that the party not form a coalition with the ANC but go it alone in the May 8 elections.
Magashule’s involvement did not end there, according to Ngqulwana. The secretary-general was the architect of the renaming of ATC to ATM suggesting that ATC was too similar to the ANC.
“The letter M was his idea,” said Ngqulwana.
Read: ATM leader 'gatvol' about 'ludicrous' unrelenting links to ANC leaders
Also speaking to City Press yesterday, ATM president Vuyolwethu Zungula rubbished Ngqulwana’s claims, saying he was not aware of any involvement of any ANC members in his party’s formation.
He sent City Press email correspondence between ATM members and other Christian organisations which were crucial in the formation of the party as proof of “the fact that Magashule played no part in the party’s naming or formation”.
Instead of demonstrating concrete evidence of ANC members’ involvement in the formation of the party, Ngqulwana admitted his own meeting with the former president and his interactions with Magashule.
He neither revealed whether these meetings were at the behest of the party or if he was ever accompanied by any current ATM leaders to these meetings.
Instead, Ngqulwana confessed to having a bone to pick with Zungula and members of his administration.
“Zungula, Mandisa [Mandisa Mashiya ATM national spokesperson] and the lot hijacked the party. We sent Zungula to go and register the party as he was the only one in Gauteng and then they took control over the party. I have opened a case with the Goodwood police station which was later transferred to Brixton Police station,” said Ngqulwana.
In his own defense Zungula said Ngqulwana was delusional and accused him of “misleading the public.”
He said these allegations form the former ATM member had only become stronger and stronger since he met with President Cyril Ramaphosa.
During the week Zungula took to Twitter and posted an image of the two posing for a photo while casting aspersions on Ngqulwana and Ramaphosa’s relationship.
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