The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has made a bold call for Zimbabwe’s ruling party, Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), to be prohibited from observing South Africa’s upcoming elections scheduled for May 29.
The ATM’s stance stems from concerns over the close relationship between ZANU-PF and the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s ruling party.
Vuyo Zungula, the leader of the ATM, has formally communicated this demand to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) following reports of the ANC inviting ZANU-PF to observe the electoral proceedings.
Despite reassurances from ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa that ZANU-PF would not interfere with the electoral process, the ATM remains adamant in its stance.
“The relationship between the two parties has been documented to an extent that, in the middle of a global pandemic where no one was moving from one country to the other, there was a strange phenomenon of an airplane [from] South Africa which chartered members of the ANC [and] was used for private use to go and meet with ZANU-PF.
They go to those extents when they want to meet”, said Zama Ntshona, ATM spokesperson.
The ATM’s call for barring ZANU-PF from election observation underscores the complexities of political relationships and their implications for electoral processes, raising pertinent questions about transparency and fairness in South Africa’s democratic practices.
Source iol.co.za
