Opposition’s secret weapon? Meet ISANCO’s Zukile Luyenge, activist leader of ‘gatvol’ rural communities
ISANCO is perhaps the lowest profile of the seven political parties joining together in the Multi Party Charter of SA, but potentially it is the most potent. Deeply embedded within communities, the newly formed party scooped 14 councillor seats after only a few months of campaigning ahead of the November 2021 Local elections. It performed creditably in two subsequent by-elections (4-5% of the vote) suggesting ISANCO may prove an unexpected trump card for the Opposition Coalition in the 2024 National Election. Leader Dr Zukile Luyenge is confident he's part of 2024's winning team – and in this interview, explains why. – Alec Hogg
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Watch here
Relevant timestamps from the interview
- 00:08 – Introductions
- 01:17 – Dr Zukile Luyenge on the reason he left the ANC
- 01:44 – On how he came to join SANCO
- 07:28 – On getting 14 councillors in 6 months
- 07:58 – On if they've fought any by elections since the November 2021 local elections
- 09:33 – On what is their target
- 11:50 – Why are people, when it comes to 2024, going to vote ISANCO and not for the ANC
- 13:04 – Unfulfilled promises
- 16:12 – On his belief that the Rainbow Coalition will get 51%
- 18:21 – Conclusions
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Edited transript of the interview with Dr Zukile Luyenge, president of ISANCO, one of the seven members of the Multi Party Charter of SA
Alec Hogg: Last week marked a momentous occasion when the Multi Party Charterists gathered to decide that they will be fighting the election together. Should they garner more than 50% of the vote in the 2024 National Election, they promise to collaborate to make South Africa better. Among the charterists, one of the seven political parties, is the Independent South African National Civic Association or ISANCO. Its leader is Dr. Zukile Luyenge, known for his trademark headgear. Thank you for being here, Dr. Luyenge. Could you share a bit about your history? You began as a political activist in the Eastern Cape many years ago and broke with the ANC in 2019. Could you explain the reason?
Zukile Luyenge: I grew weary of representing something that wasn't true and is often dubbed politics, when in reality, I'm not a politician but an activist for development.
Alec Hogg: How did ISANCO, an independent arm of Sanco which people know from the apartheid years, come about?
Zukile Luyenge: During the establishment of Sanco in 1992, it launched as a federation of civil society organisations, active because we were coming from the era of the UTF. There was no political ideology alignment; it was more community-based. A mistake was made when aligning with the ANC, and even Nelson Mandela didn't support that decision. He saw it as a duplication of the ANC's work. This was reiterated by President Zuma in 2014 when he reminded Sanco members to be activists of development rather than politicians. We declared independence in 2020, and I was elected president. We decided to contest state power, and unexpectedly in the November 2021 Local Election, gained 14 seats in different municipalities across the country. We plan to move forward and contest the 2024 provincial and national elections. We won't get 51%, but we'll join like-minded parties in the Multi Party Charter of SA. We are happy with the way the parties are coming together, sharing common principles and grounds.
Alec Hogg: Fourteen councillors a months after you started, across various provinces is quite an achievement. Have you fought any by-elections since the November 2021 local elections?
Zukile Luyenge: Yes, we contested two by-elections to register ourselves in the minds of the voters, and we showed strong results even though we didn't win. We do face challenges with the IEC acting both as a referee and a player.
Alec Hogg: What kind of percentages did you attain in the by-elections?
Zukile Luyenge: There has been a decline in voter interest, especially in by-elections. The turnout was poor, but we managed to gain around 4-5% in the two wards.
Alec Hogg: If you replicate that across the country, you would clearly be a force to be reckoned with, if you could get 4-5% in Parliament. What is your target, and how do you intend to achieve that?
Zukile Luyenge: ISANCO extends support in terms of the interest of the people. I communicate with 5 to 10 new individuals joining the organisation every hour. People are coming as individuals and in groups, such as NGOs or community-based organisations. I am quite confident that the Charter will accomplish more than 51%; it will not be a fluke. I'm sure of this due to the following we're getting. I'm not relying on the contributions of others. I'm looking to build upon my strength, my organisation, and the way we work, and the positive response we are getting. We are working with traditional leaders, churches, women, and youth structures not aligned with the ANC. Some that are aligned with the ANC are contemplating joining us. I didn't expect that sectoral organisations would be as weary of the ANC's destruction in this country as I am.
Alec Hogg: And is that across the provinces?
Zukile Luyenge: It's across the provinces. It's in the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, KZN, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West.
Alec Hogg: So you've got a structure there already through the old Sanco, or the South African National Civic Organisation. Why, though, when it comes to 2024, are people going to vote for you and not for the ANC?
Zukile Luyenge: In the first place, people who voted for the ANC initially found that their votes meant nothing in terms of bettering people's lives. So those votes continued to stay with the ANC but amounted to nothing. I was part of that, even voting in provincial and national legislatures. However, I saw that the ANC was never sincere about improving people's lives, only enriching certain individuals in leadership.
Alec Hogg: So normal people have come to realise that what was promised is not being fulfilled?
Zukile Luyenge: Yes, it's a critical issue. People are now coming back with more vigour to see if this Rainbow Nation government will bring change. It is revitalising the interest of people to come back and vote.
Alec Hogg: What did it feel like for you being an ANC stalwart, being an activist, being an anti-apartheid campaigner going back all those years to be sitting in a room with so many different political parties last week?
Zukile Luyenge: It's normal in a developing country like South Africa. I'm part of a product of democracy, working against the opposition parties. Even if they were different political parties, it shows that democracy is playing its role. No one wants to return to the apartheid era, but it's also problematic to have a corrupt democratic government. It's unethical and immoral.
Alec Hogg: So we must try democracy in an honest way in the future. And you are saying that ISANCO will be part of that. When you say that the multiparty grouping, the Rainbow Coalition, would get 51%, what makes you confident? Because the pollsters are saying that's not going to happen.
Zukile Luyenge: I've tested the ground and have been in the game. I'm working with communities across the political spectrum. Even now, people from various directions in our country support this idea. Those who doubt our progress will be shocked to learn that their surveys were incorrect. What we are bringing as the charter is a mind-changer, moving towards social development rather than welfare.
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