The United Africans Transformation (UAT) is a minor political party in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. It was founded in November 2022 by a group of individuals who broke away from the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

(ANC). The UAT is centered around Africanism, pan-Africanism, and socialism. Following the

2024 South African general election General elections were held in South Africa on 29 May 2024 to elect a new National Assembly (South Africa), National Assembly as well as the Provincial legislature (South Africa), provincial legislature in each of the Provinces of South Africa, ...

, president

Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician serving as the 5th and current President of South Africa since 2018. A former Anti-Apartheid Movement, anti-apartheid activist and trade union leade ...

announced that the UAT had joined the government of national unity (GNU). However, the UAT withdrew from the GNU after it did not receive any positions in the Cabinet.

History

Formation

The party was founded by Wonder Mahlatsi, a former

(ANC) member and businessman. The party was launched in November 2022 in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

. The UAT has been criticized for its lack of clear policies and its perceived opportunism in breaking away from the ANC. Some have also questioned the leadership style and the party's lack of transparency in its finances and decision-making processes.

Participation in Government of National Unity

In June 2024, president

stated that the UAT had joined the Government of National Unity (GNU), which was formed in the wake of the ANC losing its parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years. The GNU aimed to include various political parties to ensure stable government where no party had an absolute majority. In July 2024, Mahlatsi remarked, "it took us by surprise to hear the President of the Republic announcing that the UAT is part of GNU," implying that formalities for it joining the GNU had not been concluded by the time the president announced that it had joined. In the same statement, Mahlatsi announced the UAT's withdrawal from the GNU due to allegations of exclusion from critical decision-making processes and bad faith negotiations, after it did not get any ministerial posts or chairperson positions in

parliamentary In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

committee portfolios. He expressed disappointment with the ANC, emphasizing the need for fair and inclusive coalition governance.

Current structure and composition

UAT has a central committee led by Mahlatsi as the president, with a secretary-general and other office bearers. The party has a small presence in a few provinces, with most of its support coming from the Gauteng and

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

provinces. The UAT has not articulated a clear foreign policy but has expressed support for African unity and solidarity with other African nations. The UAT's ideology is centered around Africanism, pan-Africanism, and socialism. Its policies focus on economic empowerment, land reform, and social justice.

Election results

The UAT has contested local government elections in 2019 and national elections in 2024. In the 2024 General Election, the party won 1 seat in the National Assembly and 1 seat in the Limpopo Provincial Legislature.

National Assembly elections

, - ! Election ! Party leader ! Total votes ! Share of vote ! Seats ! +/– ! Government , - !

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, Wonder Mahlatsi , 35,679 , 0.22% , , New ,

National Council of Provinces

, - ! Election ! Total # of
seats won ! +/– ! Government , - !

, 0 , 0 , 0

Provincial elections

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Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

! colspan=2 , Free State ! colspan=2 ,

Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...

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Kwazulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

! colspan=2 ,

Limpopo Limpopo () is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a ...

! colspan=2 ,

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...

! colspan=2 , North-West ! colspan=2 ,

Northern Cape The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley. It includes ...

! colspan=2 ,

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

, - ! % !! Seats ! % !! Seats ! % !! Seats ! % !! Seats ! % !! Seats ! % !! Seats ! % !! Seats ! % !! Seats ! % !! Seats , - !

, , , , 0.17 , , 0/30 , 0.23 , , 1/80 , , , , 0.82 , , 1/64 , 0.48 , , 0/51 , 0.54 , , 0/38 , , , , , ,

References

2022 establishments in South Africa African National Congress breakaway groups Pan-Africanism in South Africa Pan-Africanist political parties in Africa Political parties established in 2022 Socialist parties in South Africa {{SouthAfrica-party-stub