Afrika Mayibuye Movement leader Floyd Shivambu has declared his party a growing force in South African politics, while insisting that more than 72,000 votes secured in its first election are just the beginning of a political movement determined to shake up the country’s political landscape ahead of 2029.
Addressing the media at the Results Operations Centre (ROC) in Midrand on Friday, Shivambu said the election results were a clear message to established political parties that voters were increasingly questioning their ability to deliver on promises.
Shivambu said the movement was ranked 12th nationally, despite contesting elections for the first time and operating without significant financial resources.
“We are the biggest political party that is contesting for the first time. We are at number 12 nationally and yet are not in Parliament,” Shivambu said.
“We went into these elections without money and without resources. We just relied on our word. We have more than 72,000 voters who have voted for us and we appreciate it.”
Shivambu said the party’s performance demonstrated that it had established a political presence across the country, laying the foundation for its participation in the 2029 general elections.
He argued that the election results reflected growing frustration with established political parties, particularly the ANC and EFF, which he accused of failing to deliver on their promises.
“The voters are always correct. They have demonstrated they are not dissatisfied with parties that are in government and have not met their commitments,” Shivambu said.
“What is happening with the ANC is people saying they are fed up with you – and that is the same with the EFF. They probably had the most money, but they have struggled.”
Despite Afrika Mayibuye Movement’s relatively modest electoral showing compared with established parties, Shivambu insisted that the movement had achieved its primary objective of introducing itself to voters across South Africa.
“We are happy we have planted the seed of Afrika Mayibuye throughout South Africa and it will germinate,” he said.
“We spread our wings throughout the country, and the result is that we are voted for in all areas we contested in. We now have to cultivate the ground and make sure we prepare for the 2029 general elections.”
Shivambu said the party had never expected to secure representation in every municipality it contested, but believed its electoral debut had provided a platform for future growth.
“Our ambition was to register the presence of Afrika Mayibuye throughout the country with these local government elections. We are happy that even though we will not receive seats in all of them, we have registered our presence in South Africa.”
He maintained that the party’s performance should be measured against the fact that it was starting from scratch.
“We respect the voters. We are coming from zero and we now have something. We have not lost any vote.”
Turning to the looming coalition negotiations in municipalities where no party has secured an outright majority, Shivambu argued that parties receiving the highest number of votes should be given the first opportunity to lead municipal councils.
He criticised the practice of appointing mayors from smaller political parties through coalition arrangements, arguing that such governments were ineffective.
“The phenomenon of minority mayors does not work,” he said.
“The parties that have received the highest number of votes should be prioritised in choosing the mayors. And the negotiations will determine who are the other role players in those municipalities.”
However, Shivambu made it clear that his position did not amount to an endorsement of the ANC governing major metros such as Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
“I cannot boldly say we must give the ANC a chance to run the City of Johannesburg or Ekurhuleni, because they are corrupt and the people of South Africa know that,” he said.
He accused the ANC of failing to establish corruption-free administrations, raising questions about its suitability to lead municipalities despite its electoral support.
Shivambu also addressed the possibility of cooperation between political parties that describe themselves as progressive, saying unity should be achievable if their primary objective was to serve South Africans.
However, he acknowledged that political differences and competing interests continued to stand in the way of such cooperation.
“If our agenda is about the people, it should be very easy to unify all progressive forces and we work together, but at the moment, that is not the case,” he said.
“Let’s see what happens. The people of South Africa have spoken and we respect that.”
Shivambu said his party would continue implementing its existing political and community projects while strengthening its organisational structures ahead of the next national elections.
He maintained that the party was not discouraged by the results and remained confident about its long-term prospects.
“We are happy with what we have received. Our movement is here to stay and will continue to inspire confidence.”