Range of contestants for KZN polls

KICKER: Bafana Mhlongo, a member of the KZN Taxi Alliance, briefs taxi owners outside Truro House after a meeting with transport MEC Willies Mchunu.Picture: Sbonelo Ngcobo

KICKER: Bafana Mhlongo, a member of the KZN Taxi Alliance, briefs taxi owners outside Truro House after a meeting with transport MEC Willies Mchunu.Picture: Sbonelo Ngcobo

Published Mar 27, 2014

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Durban - A taxi association and a party that says its main aim is to fight the antichrist movement and restore God’s kingdom on earth are among the groups contesting the elections in KwaZulu-Natal for the first time.

Nineteen political parties will compete for the 80 seats in the provincial legislature on May 7.

While many of the parties are well known and well-established, the list of names includes the new and the novel.

Among the newcomers is the Kingdom Governance Movement, led by former a Eastern Cape education MEC and Speaker, Mkhangeli Matomela, who believes that the ruling party is part of the “antichrist agenda”.

“The ANC has a Christian background, but recently it has been tricked, manipulated and transformed, whether willingly or unwillingly, into being an agent of the New World Order.”

Matomela says the dropping of prayers at schools, the redefining of the family structure to include homosexuals, and the excluding of the verse “Come down Holy Spirit” from the national anthem Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrica are signs that the country has drifted away from God.

“We have opened the gates for Satan to operate,” says Matomela

His party’s main mission is to restore God’s kingdom in the country.

He believes this is the key to solving all the problems facing the country.

“If we restore God’s kingdom, all will be taken care of, as the Bible says in Matthew 6, verse 33: But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

The Kingdom Governance Movement does not believe gays should be persecuted and criminalised, but says they should be ministered to.

Matomela believes Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu could be part of the antichrist movement because he denounces homophobia,

Another surprise on the provincial ballot is the KZN Transport Alliance, which has been behind some of the most violent strikes by the taxi sector.

The organisation was behind the violent taxi strikes in May 2012, during which a group of taxi drivers rampaged through the Durban central business district, damaging cars and other property.

About R1 million in damage was caused.

According to Bafana Mhlongo, the leader of the KZN Transport Alliance, his party wants to ensure that the taxi industry is represented in the legislature.

“The taxi industry is under threat from the government and we want to use this vote to protect it.”

Mhlongo said commuters should vote for his party because the KZN Transport Alliance had a solution to many of the problems plaguing the country.

“For example, job creation is something we already do because every taxi driver and every conductor gets to put food on the table for his family,” he said.

“Even the vendors at taxi ranks survive because of this industry.”

The transport alliance boasts only 7 000 members, but Mhlongo said he was confident that after May 7 it would be represented in the legislature as there had been “overwhelming” public support for the party.

Based on the 5.1 million voters registered in KZN, a seat in the legislature would require about 63 000 votes.

Another political newcomer is the Ubumbano Lwesizwe Sabangoni.

Party leader Hamilton Buthelezi would not speak about his party yesterday, but according to the party’s Facebook page, it wants the province to be “economically independent” and for the economy to be shared by the indigenous people – without the influence of and dependence on foreigners.

Also taking part in the elections for the first time is the Truly Alliance, led by Mohamed Faruk Adam.

Formed in 2006, the party has one councillor in the eThekwini municipality and is aiming to gain seats in the legislature.

Other parties competing in KZN are: Freedom Front Plus, African Christian Democratic Party, ANC, African People’s Convention, Azanian People’s Organisation, Congress of the People, DA, Economic Freedom Fighters, IFP, Minority Front, National Freedom Party, Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, the United Christian Democratic Party, and the United Democratic Movement.

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