No solid evidence proving Zuma’s link to ATM, says party leader Zungula

African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader Vuyo Zungula has dismissed allegations that former president Jacob Zuma and ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule were involved in the formation of the party.

The new opposition party was formed by the SACMM and made headlines after its alleged attempts to get Zuma to join it, and after businessman Mzwanele Manyi became the party’s head of policy and strategy.

The Citizen reported last week that the African Transformation Congress (ATC) had approached the Electoral Court to challenge the registration of the African Transformation Movement (ATM), saying Mzwanele Manyi’s party was fraudulently registered by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) and demanding that ATM’s registration be declared null and void, and unlawful.

Despite the involvement of SACMCC in the party’s initial formation, the Sunday Times reported that its secretary-general had written an affidavit supporting this electoral court application challenging the party’s registration. This was as a result of a dispute between members of the originally proposed party, to be called the ATC, and those that facilitated a change of direction that culminated in the ATM being registered.

According to the IEC, in its records, the ATC and ATM were listed as one party with Vuyolethu Zungula as president.

Ngqulwana’s affidavit claimed Zuma was involved in “consultation sessions” leading to the formation of the party.

Zuma’s behind-the-scenes involvement in ATM has been rumoured, with Ngqulwana’s affidavit the first actual evidence that the former president allegedly played a role in its formation.

The Citizen’s attempt to contact  Zuma for comment did not bear fruit, we will update this article with their comment if and when we receive it.

But party president Zungula now says the allegations are an attempt to destroy the party. He further said there had been “no solid evidence” linking the former president to the ATM.

“Not a single evidence backing these claims was ever produced, not a photo, meeting. minutes, voice note, nothing.

“This is a deliberate ploy to cast aspersions on them to feed the so-called ‘fight back’ or anti-Ramaphosa narrative which is desperately suggesting that the news parties like ATM and others are their project to weaken the ANC.”

According to Zungula, the “smear campaign” started when Mzwanele Manyi joined the party in an attempt to destroy the party.

“When servant Mzwanele Manyi joined us in January, even though it was evident he was joining an already established party, they created a perception that this party belongs to Manyi hence the headlines ‘Manyi’s ATM’. Again this is another failed attempt by Stratcom-inspired media to import all the fake news and unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoing by Manyi, purely based on his vendor-financed deal with the Guptas.”

(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde, background reporting by Eric Naki and Daniel Friedman)