Johannesburg - It is not a political party as yet but a movement that will champion the policies and issues of radical economic transformation (RET).
These are the words of former ANC spokesperson and member Carl Niehaus, who recently announced his separation from the governing party following a series of suspensions and disciplinary processes against him.
On Monday, Niehaus took to his social media account to announce the news from his brief holiday in Cape Town.
He later told “The Star” that the ANC is no longer the party to take RET policies forward, adding that this new movement, which he is building alongside other members of the ANC who feel hard-done by the ANC’s lack of fortitude on RET, will be the new home for RET.
The former uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans' Association (MKMVA) spokesperson said the ANC has been destroyed by sell-outs, adding that the ANC was no longer the same ANC he joined 43 years ago as a 19-year- old activist.
“The full liberation of black people, and especially African South Africans, will now have to be pursued through renewed initiatives and a new progressive movement such as this one that we are now undertaking to establish.
“There is no one inside the ANC who has the interests at heart to pursue RET policies. It has become necessary for some of us to pursue these through the launch and establishment of what will be called the Radical Economic Transformation Movement. This will be a new broad civil society and political movement that will work for the full liberation of the people of South Africa,” he said.
Niehuas has not ruled out the formation of a political party, but said that at the moment the new movement will remain a civil society movement that accepts a broad church of members from other opposition political parties.
“For now, this will be a civil society movement and not a political party. We will be working and are prepared to work with ANC members as well as opposition political parties in a bid to pursue and push for radical economic transformation.
“We are also not ruling out the possibility of a political party should the movement morph into something more. However, that will then require that those who wish to join us resign their political membership if they want to be part of this movement,” he said.
Niehaus recently cut all ties with the governing party after he tendered his resignation with immediate effect after the 55th ANC National Conference over two weeks ago.
This was after he was expelled from the party after the ANC’s national disciplinary committee found him guilty of bringing the party into disrepute.
The Star