The announcement made by Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele that she is quitting politics came as no shock to most people.
“I have decided to return to working alongside my fellow citizens in civil society to pursue the dream of transforming ours into a more just and prosperous society,” she said in a statement.
Ramphele has had her fair share of political drama which accumulated media attention this year.
She has also had a series of activities that made critics doubt her commitment to anything she does.
As the political campaign season was heating up this year, the Democratic Alliance (DA) announced Ramphele as their presidential candidate prior to the general elections.
Within a week of sharing a kiss in public with DA leader Helen Zille, their relationship ended.
However the two parties gave conflicting reasons for their political breakup.
According to Zille, it was impossible to meet Ramphele’s demand of simultaneously leading Agang SA and being the DA’s presidential candidate.
Zille labelled Ramphele”s proposal as “electoral nonsense” and “unconstitutional”.
Soon after the general elections, Ramphele said in an open letter on her party’s website that she will be taking a break from politics.
This might have been as a result of the disappointing 0.28 percent of national votes that went in Agang SA’s favour.
Adding to controversies surrounding Ramphele’s political landscape, it was decided in a national executive committee meeting in Alexandra recently that Ramphele was not fit for the position.
Her own people adopted a motion of no-confidence in her leadership and questioned her leadership style.
She was subsequently suspended, but a group supporting Ramphele retaliated by expelling those who attended the meeting.
This move was sparked when Ramphele and Agang SA chair Mike Tshishonga lodged separate fraud cases against each other, over a bank account opened to receive a refund from the Electoral Commission of SA, believed to be around R200 000.
It is understood that Tshishonga accused Ramphele of having direct access to party funds, and that she opened the account to access the IEC deposit without a mandate from the party.
Tshishonga claimed his signature appeared on the bank account’s paperwork without his knowledge.
Will Ramphele change her mind about her recent decision (because it wont be the first time)?
