BANTU HOLOMISA RE-ELECTED - UDM NATIONAL CONGRESS

BY: Ayabonga Nkalitshana

Bantu Holomisa has been once more re-elected as the president of United Democratic Movement in its 5^th National Congress, held at the University of Free State and was the first elected president of political party in 1997. As part of his address in Bloemfontein, he criticised the African National Congress (ANC) Government, for taking credit but failed to admit when they are being ridiculed. He further emphasised that the ANC should stop blaming their shortcomings as apartheid legacy.

He further put significance to the value of the constitution in the democratic South Africa when he said, “Surely we do not need to accept ordinary, incompetence and corruption, simply because it is inflicted by a democratic government, instead of a repressive regime. We should have a government that reaches for the ideals embodied in the constitution”.

Former member of the EFF Litchfield Tshabalala, has been elected as the Deputy President of the party. She joined UDM after being expelled from the EFF alongside two other former members for a number of reasons. At the congress the manifesto was also launched as part of the preparations of the local government elections next year which blatantly states that the local government should ‘put community first’.