Durban — The newly formed Progressive Civic Congress (PCC), a splinter group of the ANC-aligned SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco), has appointed former president Jacob Zuma as its national leader and endorsed uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP).
This last-minute endorsement comes as the MKP gears up for its first election contest on Wednesday – where Zuma has repeatedly said he was gunning for a two-thirds majority.
The odds were stacked against the MKP, but if successful, this would grant the new entrant the rare power to change the country’s Constitution without the backing of any party in the 400-member National Assembly.
Founding member and general secretary of the PCC, Lucky Hadebe, former deputy secretary of Sanco in KZN, said the ANC had failed to run the country.
“Zuma is our hope to change the plight of many poor South Africans. We believe in Msholozi’s capabilities as a leader. We believe he is the right person to lead this country forward again.
“Zuma is passionate about grassroots issues affecting people on the ground. He has tackled unemployment and crime during his time as president.”
Hadebe – a well-known community activist in eThekwini – said this despite the Constitutional Court ruling that barred Zuma from being a candidate on MKP’s list for the National Assembly.
More than 27 million votes are up for grabs nationally, and 5.7 million are in KZN, Zuma’s home province and strongest power base. Zuma is leading the charge in a bid to topple his former party, the ANC, from the political throne in KZN and nationally.
Despite his ardent critics claiming that he plunged the country into the abyss during his presidential term from 2009-2018, Hadebe lauded Zuma.
He said the PCC’s latest membership stood at more than 115 000 registered members.
“We are gearing up to topple the ANC as the governing party in KZN and this will be a much welcomed gift for the people.”
He vowed the MP would disappoint naysayers at the polls.
The PCC was formed in April as a civic movement to address the grassroots issues plaguing impoverished communities in KwaZulu-Natal.
Hadebe claimed the movement was swelling with former Sanco members dumping it and joining PCC.
“We want to change the lives of people still swimming in poverty.”
The PCC held a marathon meeting with Zuma in his Nkandla home last week to thrash out plans to woo voters.
In February, Sanco expelled Zuma as former provincial chairperson after he allegedly failed to attend its meeting without rendering an apology.
Disgruntled by this, prominent Sanco leaders ditched the movement in solidarity with Zuma.
Sanco deputy Lucky Moloi angrily dismissed any claims that the PCC was Sanco’s splinter organisation.
“Those people are outside Sanco; d we have nothing to do with them; they are aligned to the MK Party.”
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