Black First Land First (BLF) leader Andile Mngxitama has confirmed that he might soon join forces with former ANC president Jacob Zuma as part of the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party.
Speaking to “The Star” on Sunday, Mngxitama said his meeting with Zuma, which was moved to sometime this week, will aim to finalise matters once it takes place.
His meeting with Zuma will see Mngxitama becoming yet another left-leaning ally joining the MK party following reports that Ace Magashule of the African Congress for Transformation (ACT) will also be collaborating with Zuma ahead of the elections.
Posting a picture of himself alongside Zuma and other members of his party, Mngxitama said it is important for RET (Radical Economic Transformation) forces to join hands to take on the ANC.
“The leadership of the PAC met with our father (Zuma). This is a great gesture. We must consolidate our forces. Imagine if all revolutionary movements were to have a united front based on a minimum programme like the RET. United we can defeat Stellenbosch,” he said.
Mngxitama, who did not to elaborate on the specific details of the proposed merger with the father of RET and close ally, said joining the MK party will ensure Steve Biko’s legacy of Black Consciousness is realised.
Zuma has been criticised by the ANC and SACP leadership for sowing division within the ruling party.
“As Black Consciousness followers, we do well to remember that our father, Biko, was arrested and murdered during his quest to unite the liberation movement. He was talking to the PAC and ANC.
“He was to be spirited to Botswana on a small aeroplane to meet OR Tambo. Craig Williamson, the apartheid spy who had infiltrated the office of Tambo, was reporting to Pretoria. The apartheid regime had to murder Biko to kill the unity of the liberation movement. Let’s unite the progressive forces and complete Biko’s mission. Let’s unite for Biko,“ Mngxitama said.
The MK party, which has been accused of trying to poach ANC leaders with leadership positions, has also convinced the PAC to join it.
On Friday, in a short statement, the PAC announced that its president, Mzwanele Nyhontso, would be meeting Zuma in a clear indication that the MK party was doing everything to amass support in a bid to topple the ANC.
Mngxitama is no stranger to working with Zuma. In 2022, he was one of the first people to visit Zuma at his Nkandla homestead after he was arrested for contempt of court. | The Star