Party will survive without Makhosi Khoza

Party will survive without Makhosi Khoza.
Party will survive without Makhosi Khoza.
Image: Makhosi Khoza

The African Democratic Change (ADeC) “will survive"‚ even as it accepts founder Makhosi Khoza’s resignation‚ says the party’s new leader‚ Moses Mayekiso.

Former ANC MP Khoza founded ADeC in December. In her resignation letter published on Saturday‚ Khoza handed over the party leadership to Mayekiso.

Mayekiso said the party would not collapse without its most well-known member. “We will be fine.”

He said the party's national council had accepted “Khoza’s resignation and would support her endeavours moving forward”.

“Makhosi has left a legacy and we thank her for what she has left and we will survive.”

Mayekiso claimed the party had 30‚000 individual members as well as various civic organisations that were joining it. “This is an organisation based on people on the ground and its mission and vision.”

He said Khoza would remain an honorary member.

“We honoured her [on Saturday] for the opportunity she gave us by setting up the organisation. She is an honorary member of our movement. She is a life member. She is mentor.”

He said the party would continue with her idea of “politics unusual‚” a phrase coined by Khoza.

After more than 35 years in the ANC‚ Khoza urged members to vote against then president Jacob Zuma in a vote of no confidence. She was then fired from her parliamentary job by Zuma last August and resigned from the ANC in September.

She started ADeC in December using the ANC’s green‚ gold and black colours in her party’s logo. The ANC accused of her of trying to trick voters into voting for her party by creating a logo and name that could be confused with the ANC on the ballot paper.

ADeC was rocked with infighting in March when two members‚ Lufuno Gogoro and Mpho Ramakatsa‚ were expelled.

The two also claimed they had suspended Makhosi Khoza from her own party.

Makhosi hit back in response to media reports of her suspension saying the people who expelled her didn’t belong to her movement.

At the time she said: “Some did not qualify as members of ADeC despite having attended our founding congress. These non-members displayed disturbing tendencies. We have even opened a criminal case against them‚” Khoza said. “They are fighting back because they thought since this party is woman-led it would be a walk in the park to take it over…. Forward ever! Backward never.”

On Saturday‚ in her resignation letter she explained she wanted to work with her son‚ a computer programmer‚ to give African languages "prestige" and "prosperity".

She said she had developed a Zulu mathematics dictionary. She also wanted to spend more time with her family. Read her full resignation letter: 

ANNOUNCEMENT: RETIRING FROM POLITICS I thought I should make my announcement public about retirement from politics....

Posted by Makhosi Busisiwe Khoza on Saturday, 21 April 2018

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