ANC split set to be announced
2008-10-08 08:05
Johannesburg - Former defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota and other ruling ANC officials are expected to announce the formation of a breakaway party, a
radio report said on Wednesday.
The officials, loyal to Thabo Mbeki who was forced to resign
as president last month by the executive of the African National Congress, would make a statement at 10:00, said Talk Radio 702.
Mbeki's resignation at the climax of a political struggle
with ANC leader Jacob Zuma marked the biggest political upheaval
in the party's history.
A split is likely to create political uncertainty that would
make investors in Africa's biggest economy nervous.
Speculation has been growing about a possible split, despite
efforts by new President Kgalema Motlanthe and other ANC leaders
to dismiss such talk.
Any new party could be hard pressed to win over voters and
funding ahead of an election due in April in a country where
politics has been completely dominated by the ANC since the end
of apartheid in 1994.