Ex-ANC chiefs Zuma and Magashule team up ahead of South Africa’s elections
Al Jazeera
The pair lost their jobs over corruption allegations but recently formed separate parties ahead of voting.
South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has joined forces with another graft-tainted former ruling party official, announcing a political alliance ahead of the 2024 elections in a blow to the embattled African National Congress (ANC).
Zuma, 81, and 64-year-old Ace Magashule, a close ally and former ANC secretary-general, said on Friday that they would soon unveil plans for a joint political future.
The pair, who both lost their jobs over corruption allegations, have recently formed separate parties in the run-up to a general election due to take place between May and August.
The “Magashule Zuma United Front” will mark a “departure from traditional politics towards a more inclusive, people-centric approach”, Magashule’s party, the African Congress for Transformation (ACT), said in a statement.
The move could further dilute support for the ANC, which is struggling in the polls and could see its share of the vote drop below 50 percent for the first time since the advent of democracy in 1994.
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