The
United Democratic Movement (UDM) is a
centre-leftThe centre-left , also known as left of center, is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties or organisations whose views stretch from the centre to the left on the left-right spectrum, excluding far left stances.- Ideological definition of the...
, social-democratic,
South AfricanThe African National Congress is the ruling party in the national legislature, as well as in eight of the nine provinces, having received 65.9% of the vote during the 2009 general election and 66.3% of the vote in the 2006 municipal election...
political party, formed by a prominent former
National PartyThe National Party was the governing party of South Africa from June 4, 1948 until May 9, 1994, and was disbanded in 2005. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a republic, and the promotion of Afrikaner culture...
leader,
Roelf MeyerRoelof Petrus Meyer, born in Port Elizabeth on 16 July 1947 as the son of a farmer, is a South African politician and businessman.After completing school in Ficksburg, he studied law at the University of the Free State and finished with B Comm and LLB degrees. At the university, he was president...
(who has since resigned from the UDM) former
African National CongressThe African National Congress has been South Africa's governing party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a "disciplined...
and
homelandA bantustan, black African homeland or simply homeland, was territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa , as part of the policy of apartheid...
leader,
Bantu HolomisaBantubonke Harrington Holomisa is a South African Member of Parliament and President of the United Democratic Movement.Holomisa was born in Mqanduli, Eastern Cape. He joined the Transkei Defence Force in 1976 and had become a Brigadier by 1985...
and John Taylor former ANC REC member. It has an anti-separatist, pro-
diversityMulticulturalism is the acceptance of multiple ethnic cultures, for practical reasons and/or for the sake of diversity and applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations...
platform; and supports an individualist South Africa with a strong moral sense, in both
socialThe term Social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
and economic senses.
National Consultative Forum - During his testimony at the
Truth and Reconciliation CommissionThe Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a court-like body assembled in South Africa after the abolition of apartheid. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected for public hearings...
(TRC), Holomisa made reference to a possible bribe that was paid to the former Prime Minister of
TranskeiThe Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...
, Chief George Matanzima and Miss Stella Sicgau, the then incumbent Prime Minister.
The
United Democratic Movement (UDM) is a
centre-leftThe centre-left , also known as left of center, is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties or organisations whose views stretch from the centre to the left on the left-right spectrum, excluding far left stances.- Ideological definition of the...
, social-democratic,
South AfricanThe African National Congress is the ruling party in the national legislature, as well as in eight of the nine provinces, having received 65.9% of the vote during the 2009 general election and 66.3% of the vote in the 2006 municipal election...
political party, formed by a prominent former
National PartyThe National Party was the governing party of South Africa from June 4, 1948 until May 9, 1994, and was disbanded in 2005. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a republic, and the promotion of Afrikaner culture...
leader,
Roelf MeyerRoelof Petrus Meyer, born in Port Elizabeth on 16 July 1947 as the son of a farmer, is a South African politician and businessman.After completing school in Ficksburg, he studied law at the University of the Free State and finished with B Comm and LLB degrees. At the university, he was president...
(who has since resigned from the UDM) former
African National CongressThe African National Congress has been South Africa's governing party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a "disciplined...
and
homelandA bantustan, black African homeland or simply homeland, was territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa , as part of the policy of apartheid...
leader,
Bantu HolomisaBantubonke Harrington Holomisa is a South African Member of Parliament and President of the United Democratic Movement.Holomisa was born in Mqanduli, Eastern Cape. He joined the Transkei Defence Force in 1976 and had become a Brigadier by 1985...
and John Taylor former ANC REC member. It has an anti-separatist, pro-
diversityMulticulturalism is the acceptance of multiple ethnic cultures, for practical reasons and/or for the sake of diversity and applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations...
platform; and supports an individualist South Africa with a strong moral sense, in both
socialThe term Social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
and economic senses.
The formation of the UDM
National Consultative Forum - During his testimony at the
Truth and Reconciliation CommissionThe Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a court-like body assembled in South Africa after the abolition of apartheid. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected for public hearings...
(TRC), Holomisa made reference to a possible bribe that was paid to the former Prime Minister of
TranskeiThe Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...
, Chief George Matanzima and Miss Stella Sicgau, the then incumbent Prime Minister. Holomisa was expelled from the ANC because of these allegations. In November 1996 Holomisa publicly announced consulting South Africans on the need or not for a new political party. With this objective, the National Consultative Forum (NCF) was established on 8 February 1997.
New Movement Process - Roelf Meyer left the National Party on 17 May 1997, including fellow politicians Nilo Botha, Takis Christodoulou, Kobus du Plessis and Annelizé van Wyk, some of whom had resigned their seats in the Gauteng Legislature. At a three-day strategic planning conference in May 1997, it was decided that a political movement should be established capable of unifying people around shared values across racial, historical, ideological and social dividing lines. The New Movement Process (NMP) was subsequently established.
Bantu Holomisa and Roelf Meyer (who had met previously, with Meyer still representing the National Party to discuss the process for a new movement) again met at Loftus Versveld, in mid-1997, to discuss working together and agreed in principle to explore the possibility of formal cooperation. A Joint Committee (JC) between the NCF and the NMP was formed to look into matters of common interest. The JC amalgamated its two (NCF and NMP) technical support teams into a Technical Committee (TC) to act as its executive body to implement the brief of the JC. This was to “look into matters of common interest between the two sides… consider… the establishment of a new party at an appropriate time… (and) in regard to the latter question… (investigate) matters of strategy, time scales, policy and funding”. The TC was jointly chaired by Kobus du Plessis (NMP) and Joel Mafenya (NCF) and its first meeting took place at the Carlton Hotel on 22 June 1997. After a joint strategic session at the Vaal Dam in July 1997 it was agreed that a new political party should be formed. The United Democratic Movement was launched at the World Trade Centre, in Kempton Park, on 27 September 1997. Bantu Holomisa was elected the party's first president at its first national congress in June 1998.
In the
2004 general electionLegislative elections were held in South Africa on Wednesday, 14 April 2004. The African National Congress of President Thabo Mbeki, which came to power after the end of the apartheid system in 1994, was re-elected with an increased majority....
, 9 members were elected to the National Assembly, 5 fewer than were elected in the
1999 electionSouth Africa's second non-racial general election, held on 1999-06-02, was won by the African National Congress , who increased their number of seats by 14. Notable was the collapse of the New National Party, previously the National Party , who without former president F.W. de Klerk lost more than...
.
On October 8, 2008, the UDM announced its kickoff of the
2009 general election campaignSouth Africa held national and provincial elections to elect a new National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each province on 22 April 2009....
. It also welcomed over 300 former members of the ANC who had left their former party following the deposition of former president
Thabo MbekiThabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served almost two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008...
in September 2008. So far almost 1000 former
African National CongressThe African National Congress has been South Africa's governing party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a "disciplined...
members have joined the party since the ANC recalled President Thabo Mbeki and replaced him with Kgalema Motlanthe.
Election results
| Election |
Votes |
% |
Seats |
| 2009 South Africa held national and provincial elections to elect a new National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each province on 22 April 2009....
|
149,680 |
0.85 |
4 |
2004Legislative elections were held in South Africa on Wednesday, 14 April 2004. The African National Congress of President Thabo Mbeki, which came to power after the end of the apartheid system in 1994, was re-elected with an increased majority....
|
355,717 |
2.30 |
9 |
1999South Africa's second non-racial general election, held on 1999-06-02, was won by the African National Congress , who increased their number of seats by 14. Notable was the collapse of the New National Party, previously the National Party , who without former president F.W. de Klerk lost more than...
|
546,790 |
3.42 |
14 |
External links