ACT Leader Ace Magashule Dismisses 11 Members Amid Internal Conflict and Meeting with Jacob Zuma

In a seismic jolt to the political landscape of the Free State, the African Congress for Transformation (ACT) has expelled 11 of its members following allegations of misconduct. The move was orchestrated by Ace Magashule, the leader of ACT, marking a dramatic clash within the party's ranks.

This contentious episode unfolded after the group was seen in the company of Jacob Zuma, the uMkhonto weSizwe leader, at his famed Nkandla homestead. Photographs circulating on social media captured the members—among them Rankele Msinto, a foundational figure of ACT and previously a confidant to Magashule—igniting a furor within the party's echelons.

The ACT Free State provincial secretary, Kgaketla Mokoena, criticized the members for behavior contradicting the party's ideals. He underscored the party’s resolve to safeguard its ethics, unity, and the integrity it represents in the political sphere. According to Mokoena, their interactions with Zuma and the resulting image suggested disloyalty and posed a threat to the party's conclusive directives.

While Mokoena fell short of detailing their exact indiscretions, the implication that their dismissal followed their rendezvous with Zuma seems apparent. Magashule's response to the incident, by asserting his authority to expel the members, signaled a rigorous adherence to the party's conducts and a rebuke of any deviations.

The dismissed group, however, presented a contrasting account. Refuting claims of expulsion, they asserted they had resigned from ACT, citing grievances that painted a less favorable image of Magashule's leadership. Their collective departure, they said, was triggered by what they described as authoritarianism and a dismissive approach to internal democratic processes. Allegations of financial opacity, sidelined districts, and exclusion from the election manifesto's formulation were among the array of grievances.

These internal tremors have brought to the fore the leadership crisis haunting the ACT, barely concealed by the thin veil of party unity. The former members accused Magashule of replicating the high-handed approach which he was once reproached for during his term in the African National Congress (ANC).

The deepening rift gained further complexity with reports of Magashule specifically installing Search Mkhabela as ACT's sole representative in the Free State Provincial Legislature—a candidate outside the local fray, from Pretoria. This appointment stirred discontent, with allegations of favoritism and undemocratic selection processes undermining party morale.

The expulsion of the 11 members is symptomatic of a broader ideological and operational dissonance within the ACT. It unveils a troubling panorama of internal strife that could challenge its societal role and electoral prospects. As the dust settles, the ACT's capacity to realign itself and emerge from this fracas remains an open question.