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African Independent Congress | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President | Mandla Galo[1] |
| Founded | 12 December 2005 (2005-12-12) |
| Split from | African National Congress |
| Ideology | Conservatism |
| Political position | Centre-right[2] |
| Colours | Orange |
| National Assembly seats | 0 / 400 |
| Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature seats | 0 / 63 |
| Cape Town City Council | 1 / 231 |
TheAfrican Independent Congress (AIC) is aminor political party inSouth Africa.
Founded inMatatiele on 12 December 2005,[3] the AIC was a protest against the location of the area within the boundaries of theEastern Capeprovince rather thanKwaZulu-Natal as a result of the12th Amendment of the Constitution of South Africa put forward by theANC government. The disputed boundary change went to court; it was eventually confirmed by the13th Amendment of the Constitution of South Africa.
The AICwon ten seats in theMatatiele municipality in the2006 local government elections, seven in the2011 elections, and one seat in the Eastern Cape provincial legislature in the2009 elections.[1] In the2014 South African general election, the AIC received 97,462 votes, 0.53% of the total, winning three seats in theNational Assembly. It retained its seat in theEastern Cape Provincial Legislature. The party did not run a candidate in seven of the nine provinces, and was thought to have only a small, regional base. Some analysts believe the party picked up mistaken votes due to its proximity on theballot with, and close similarities to, the name and logo of theAfrican National Congress.[4][5]
In theSouth African municipal elections of 2016, AIC support declined further in Matatiele, but it campaigned for the first time in many other municipalities, winning a total of 55 seats across eight of the nine provinces and 0.78% of votes.[6][7]
In March 2019, in the run-up to the2019 general election, the party's national executive was dissolved by a court ruling, the aftermath of disputes between factions supporting the party's president Mandla Galo, and deputy president Lulama Ntshayisa, over credentials for the elective congress, which took place in August 2018. The party was left with R83 in its bank account due to the legal costs, leaving its participation in the national elections in doubt.[8] In the2019 general election, the AIC won 48,107 votes (0.28%) and two seats in the National Assembly, one fewer than in 2014; it did not win any seats in the provincial legislatures, so losing the one previously held in the Eastern Cape.[citation needed]
In December 2019 following instability in theNelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality council, coveringPort Elizabeth and surrounding areas, and after the deposition of mayors from the DA and UDM, Thsonono Buyeye of the AIC became acting executive mayor.[9]
The2021 South African municipal elections saw the AIC win 43 council seats in seven provinces (two in Matatiele) with 0.49% of the votes.[10]
In the2024 South African general election, the AIC won 0.12% of the national vote, losing all of its seats in the National Assembly.
AIC memberSivuyile Ngodwana was electedmayor of Ekurhuleni in March 2023.[11] Ngodwana's election as mayor was part of an agreement between theAfrican National Congress andEconomic Freedom Fighters whereby a councillor from a small party was elected as mayor or council speaker in order to take over various municipalities. The party won three of the 224 seats during the2021 Ekurhuleni elections.[12][13]
Ngodwana was voted out in amotion of no confidence on 28 March 2024.[14]
| Election | Party leader | Total votes | Share of vote | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Mandla Galo | 97,642 | 0.53% | 3 / 400 | New | Opposition |
| 2019 | 48,107 | 0.28% | 2 / 400 |  1 | Opposition | |
| 2024 | 19,900 | 0.12%[a] | 0 / 400 | 2 | Extra-parliamentary |
| Election[15] | Eastern Cape | Free State | Gauteng | Kwazulu-Natal | Limpopo | Mpumalanga | North-West | Northern Cape | Western Cape | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | % | Seats | |
| 2014 | 0.77% | 1/63 | 0.31 | 0/42 | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 | 0.42 | 0/63 | 0.45 | 0/30 | 0.21 | 0/73 | 0.26 | 0/80 | 0.27 | 0/49 | 0.36 | 0/30 | 0.46 | 0/33 | 0.55 | 0/30 | 0.14 | 0/42 |
| 2024[16] | 0.22 | 0/73 | 0.11 | 0/80 | 0.07 | 0/80 | 0.25 | 0/38 | 0.08 | 0/42 | ||||||||
| Election | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| 2016[17] | 333,655 | 0.87% |
| 2021[18] | 146,693 | 0.48% |