ABC party calls for Zulu independence

Cape independence has been a headline item in South African politics for several years now, with three political parties and four civic entities backing the call for the secession of the Western Cape from South Africa.

But the Cape nationalists are not the only anti-Unionists anymore – Abantu Batho Congress president Philani PG Mavundla announced yesterday at his KZN Premier candidacy announcement that the party supports the independence of all native kingdoms, specifically mentioning an independent KwaZulu, a greater Lesotho, and a Xhosa homeland in the Eastern Cape.

Mavundla emphasised the colonial origins of the South African state, and the negative impact it has had on the self-determination of the several peoples of South Africa. By rectifying the issue of historical colonial boundaries, ABC hopes to usher in a new age of prosperity and traditional values for all South Africans.

Mavundla, a former eThekwini Municipality deputy mayor and current mayor of uMvoti Municipality, founded the ABC in 2020 after leaving the NFP, a Zulu-nationalist rival to the IFP. He is also a prominent local businessperson and former advisor to King Misuzulu kaZwelethini.

The ABC’s decision was part of strategic choices to address regional issues, outlined in their upcoming manifesto. Mavundla has aligned the ABC with the IFP and the DA, who have also named their premier candidates for KZN. The IFP selected Thami Ntuli, the King Cetshwayo Municipality Mayor, and the DA chose Chris Pappas, the uMngeni Municipality Mayor, for the position.

The DA is in talks for a possible coalition with the IFP to co-govern KZN if the ANC’s support falls below 50%, though the arrival of Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party threatens this plan, as recent polls have shown their appeal with IFP supporters, meaning that the chance that the Charterist bloc (MK, ANC, EFF) will lose its majority is slim.

The ANC, which has yet to announce its premier candidate, traditionally names the candidate after the elections, following guidelines where the party’s national leadership selects from three candidates put forward by the provincial leadership.

The ABC is a small party, but also very young, having competed for the first time in 2021, taking 25 seats on local councils – 23 in KZN and two in Limpopo.

Only time can tell if their new radical anti-Unionist position will catch on with others, or if they will be able to grow their public support, but as recent polling data from the Social Research Foundation indicates (to be released soon), Zulus broadly support being in charge of their own collective affairs, which makes fertile ground for this new independence movement, still in its infancy.

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