A number of uMkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP) youth members protested outside the Union Buildings, where President Cyril Ramaphosa’s swearing-in ceremony took place on Wednesday.
The handful of youth members accused the ANC of being sell-outs and refused to attend the ceremony, which attracted hundreds of people who were ferried in buses from around the country.
Ramaphosa’s ANC, the DA and other parties have formed a Government of National Unity (GNU) to govern South Africa after no single party emerged victorious in last month’s elections.
Not everyone is celebrating the GNU, and a number of political parties snubbed the ceremony in protest.
One of the parties that has made it clear that they are not happy with what they called “vote rigging” and the “marriage” between the ANC and the DA is the MKP, and they are not taking the development lying down.
This week, party leader Jacob Zuma revealed that they are taking the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to the International Court of Justice, alleging that nine million votes were unaccounted for.
Though escorted by the SAPS, MKP youth members were seen singing Struggle songs and holding placards reading “#selloutsmustfall”, “no to sell outs”, “welcome uMkhonto to Parliament”, “youth rejects GNU”, “wenzeni uZuma”, and more.
Mamosa Ramaisa, the MKP spokesperson of the youth league in Gauteng, said they were participating in a peaceful march to express their dissatisfaction with the GNU.
“Today we are observing a wedding – it is not the inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa, but a wedding of the DA and the ANC. People are confused – they think the ANC won the elections, instead the DA won. As the MKP youth league we are not and we will not allow this marriage and this thing … they are making black people a laughing stock,” said Ramaisa.
The interview was quickly interrupted by SAPS members who pleaded with “The Star” team not to conduct interviews on that street, adding that they were preventing an incident that may occur between them and some disgruntled ANC members who came in numbers to the event.
Zuma, 82, called on MKP supporters to take to the streets to show their disgruntlement over the 2024 election results.
The MKP raked in more than 4.5 million in national and regional votes, leading to 58 seats in the National Assembly, which has 400 seats.
Zuma said the MKP’s 58 party representatives in the National Assembly will now attend the second sitting of the House after boycotting the first one on Friday, crying foul over the “rigged elections”.
The Star