Cape Town - A group of disgruntled ex Patriotic Alliance (PA) members are gearing up to launch a new political movement,aimed at inspiring change and empowering communities ahead of the 2024 elections.
The People’s Movement for Change (PMC) says its focus is on empowerment and tackling community-related issues.
The movement already has over 1 000 members.
Former PA West Coast leader, Theunissen “Bumper Morgan” Andrews, said some of the members walked away from the PA due to “ill-treatment”.
“Our people got hurt in the PA, most were badly mistreated. My frustration was the lack of internal democracy and no one being able to take a decision unless approved by the party’s president, Gayton (McKenzie),” he said.
Andrews joined the party during the 2021 Local Government Elections, a decision he said was driven by having an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the poor and working class.
He said he was later removed from the party, for allegedly raising his frustrations on social media.
“The leader of the PA then went on his Facebook lives to humiliate me and my family in the middle of school exams, having a traumatic experience on my family/community in general, and my son in particular. I also have a lot of reservations about some of the policy positions of the PA. As Christians, it contradicts everything we learn from the Bible.
“I wanted to leave politics after the PA, but was confronted by my people to step up to the occasion. That is why we have created an alternative vehicle for the masses, as they have refused to go back to either the DA or the ANC,” Andrews said.
Former PA provincial leader Sammy Claassen is among the leaders of the movement. He recently resigned from the PA, saying he had become a “target of some newly-appointed regional leaders and some national leaders”.
“If Gayton is not going to deal with the situation, more people will leave and he will not become the president of South Africa. He can take my advice or reject it. His party has become a wet dream,” said Claassen.
McKenzie declined to comment on Sunday.
The PA’s national executive committee member, Sydney James, said: “They have left and we have accepted them leaving. We are moving forward and there are no ill-feelings from our side.”
Cape Times