Jacob Zuma and 5 Other Politicians Who Switched Political Parties Before Elections

• South African politicians over the years made jaw-dropping decisions to leave their home parties to join or form opposition parties
• These include Julius Malema, who left the ANC to form the Economic Freedom Fighters and Mmusi Maimane, who created his party
• Briefly News compiled a list of the politicians and who's who in the political landscape and when they jumped ship to find new political homes

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, the State of the Nation Address, politician-related news and elections at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.

JOHANNESBURG – The South African political landscape is full of drama, thriller and twists and turns. Over the past few years, famous politicians have left their political homes and joined new parties or formed their own. Briefly News looks at those that jumped ship and found new political homes.

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Jacob Zuma

The African National Congress and South Africa's former president, Jacob Zuma, surprised the nation when he joined the newly-formed MK Party in December. This happened despite him still being a member of the African National Congress. The ANC suspended him after he said he would not vote for Cyril Ramaphosa's ANC.

Mmusi Maimane

Mmusi Maimane, the Democratic Alliance's first black leader for four years, not only resigned from his position but left the party and formed his party, Build One SA (BOSA). SundayWorld noted that Maimane said his failure to transform the DA into an inclusive party forced his hand.

Carl Niehaus

Carl Niehaus, a former member of the ANC and one of its outspoken critics, joined the Economic Freedom Fighters in December. IOL reported that He left the ruling party and formed his political party, the African Radical Economic Transformation Alliance, before joining the Red Berets.

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Makhosi Khoza

Dr Makhosi Khoza, who was one of the ruling party's critics, left the ANC in 2017 after she was removed as the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee of the Public Service Administration. She then formed her party, the African Democratic Change (ADeC). She resigned from ADeC the same year and joined ActionSA. She was fired from the party after secretly voting for the ANC. According to IOL, she recently joined the Abantu Batho Congress, and the party appointed her deputy president.

Herman Mashaba

Businessman Herman Mashaba, known for being the founder of Black Like Me, was a member of the DA from 2014 to 2019. He served as the party's mayor for Johannesburg from 2016 to 2019. He reigned from the Mayor's Office and the DA in the same year because of the party's leadership differences. He then formed ActionSA in 2020.

Julius Malema

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Julius Malema, the ANCYL's president for four years, was booted from the party in 2012 after he campaigned for Zuma's removal from office. He then formed the Economic Freedom Fighters the following year, along with politicians such as Floyd Shivambu and Andile Mngxitama. The EFF won 10% of the vote in the 2019 general elections.

Mosiuoa "Terror" Lekota

Former apartheid activist Mosiuoa "Terror" Lekota left the African National Congress in 2008 after then-president Thabo Mbeki resigned from his office as president. He then founded the Congress of the People the same year, joined by Gauteng's former premier, Mbhazima Shilowa.

Famous people that joined the EFF

In a similar article, Briefly News wrote about celebrities and well-known public figures who joined the EFF.

These included the former Public Protector Busi Mkhwebane, Trompies founder and musical producer Eugene Mthethwa, actor Fana Mokoena and musician Ringo Madlingozi.

Source: Briefly News