The United Democratic Movement (UDM) is a
centre-left
Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...
,
social-democratic,
South African political party, formed by a prominent former
National Party leader,
Roelf Meyer
Roelof Petrus Meyer (born 16 July 1947) is a South African politician and businessman. Originally a member of the National Party, he is known for his prominent role in the negotiations to end the apartheid system in South Africa. He later co-f ...
(who has since resigned from the UDM), a former
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...
and
Transkei
Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ba ...
homeland
A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethni ...
leader,
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Bantu Holomisa
Bantubonke Harrington Holomisa (born 25 July 1955) is a South African Member of Parliament and President of the United Democratic Movement.
Holomisa was born in Mqanduli, Cape Province. He joined the Transkei Defence Force in 1976 and had b ...
, and a former ANC Executive Committee member, John Taylor. It has an anti-
separatist, pro-
diversity
Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to:
Business
*Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce
*Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers
* ...
platform; and supports an
individualist
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-relianc ...
South Africa with a strong moral sense, in both
social
Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not.
Etymology
The word "social" derives from ...
and
economic
An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...
senses.
Along with the much larger
Democratic Alliance (DA) and other smaller parties, the UDM is currently part of the governing coalition in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
, South Africa's largest Metropolitan municipality.
Mongameli Bobani was the Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality from 2018 to 2019 and the first mayor from the UDM since the party governed
King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality
King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality is a municipality situated in the inland of Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. The municipality is made up of Mthatha and Mqanduli. The King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality is one of the seven lo ...
(2000-2002).
Formation
The National Consultative Forum
During his testimony at the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state act ...
(TRC), Holomisa made reference to a possible bribe that was paid to the former Prime Minister of
Transkei
Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ba ...
, Chief
George Matanzima
Chief George Mzimvubu Mathanzima (26 December 1918 in Qamata – 10 November 2000) was a leader of the Transkei bantustan in South Africa, a young brother of Kaiser Matanzima and a nephew of Nelson Mandela. He and his brother, Kaiser co-found ...
and Miss
Stella Sigcau
Princess Stella Sigcau (4 or 14 January 1937 in Lusikisiki – 7 May 2006 in Durban) was a Minister in the South African Government. Sigcau was also the first female Prime Minister of the bantustan of Transkei before being deposed in a milit ...
, 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.
The New Movement Process
Roelf Meyer left the National Party on 17 May 1997, along with 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 then established.
Bantu Holomisa and Roelf Meyer (who had met 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.
First elections
As one of several newcomer parties, UDM was among the most successful in the
1999 general election; the party garnered 3,4% and earned seats in 6 of the 9 provincial legislatures. It also became the official opposition in the Northern Province and its stronghold, the Eastern Cape.
Decline
In the 2000 municipal elections, the UDM won control of the
King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality
King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality is a municipality situated in the inland of Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. The municipality is made up of Mthatha and Mqanduli. The King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality is one of the seven lo ...
. The party lost the council during the
floor crossing period, however, and this would begin a time of decline; In the
2004 general election, 9 members were elected to the National Assembly, 5 fewer than were elected in the 1999 election. The UDM lost its position as the official opposition in the Eastern Cape after two of its members in the Eastern Cape Legislature had defected to the splinter
United Independent Front
The United Independent Front (UIF) was a political party in South Africa. It broke away from the United Democratic Movement (UDM). Until his death in 2006, it was led by Malizole Diko. He and Nomakhaya Mdaka were the sole members of parliamen ...
in 2005.
On October 8, 2008, the UDM announced its kickoff of the
2009 general election campaign. It also welcomed over 300 former members of the ANC who had left their former party following the deposition of former president
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...
in September 2008. Almost 1000 former
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...
members joined the party after the ANC recalled President Mbeki and replaced him with
Kgalema Motlanthe. Nevertheless, the election would continue the downward trend of the UDM, with the party retaining only 4 MPs with 0,8% of the vote and losing its representation in all provinces except the Eastern Cape, where it was pushed into fourth place.
In 2014, a faction of the
Congress of the People led by
Mbhazima Shilowa
Mbhazima Samuel (Sam) Shilowa, correct Tsonga spelling "Xilowa" (born 30 April 1958) is a South African politician. A former Premier of Gauteng province while a member of the African National Congress, Shilowa left the party to help form the o ...
joined the UDM.
This helped to strengthen the party in its Eastern Cape stronghold, where it likely gained support from many previous COPE supporters. In the
2014 general elections, UDM support remained at very low levels in eight of the provinces, and it failed to re-establish itself nationally, but made a convincing rebound in the Eastern Cape, where it overtook COPE to become the third-largest party. The increase was especially convincing in the King Sabata Dalindyebo region. However, this new growth had largely evaporated by the time of the 2016 local elections.
The
national and provincial election of 2019 saw its support drop to its lowest levels yet. The UDM lost half of its seats both nationally and in the Eastern Cape, and is now the seventh-most supported party nationally, and fourth-most in the Eastern Cape.
Election results
National elections
, -
! Election
! Total votes
! Share of vote
! Seats
! +/–
! Government
, -
!
1999
, 546,790
, 3.42%
,
, –
,
, -
!
2004
, 355,717
, 2.30%
,
, 5
,
, -
!
2009
, 149,680
, 0.85%
,
, 5
,
, -
!
2014
, 184,636
, 1.00%
,
, ±0
,
, -
!
2019
, 78,030
, 0.45%
,
, 2
,
Provincial elections
! rowspan=2 , Election
! colspan=2 ,
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha.
The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...
! colspan=2 ,
Free State
! colspan=2 ,
Gauteng
Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...
! colspan=2 ,
Kwazulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...
! colspan=2 ,
Limpopo
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...
! colspan=2 ,
Mpumalanga
! colspan=2 ,
North-West
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east ...
! colspan=2 ,
Northern Cape
The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi T ...
! colspan=2 ,
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...
, -
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
! % !! Seats
, -
!
1999
, 13.60% , , 9/63
, 1.67% , , 0/30
, 1.95% , , 1/73
, 1.17% , , 1/80
, 2.51% , , 1/49
, 1.42% , , 1/30
, 1.29% , , 0/33
, 0.90% , , 0/30
, 2.40% , , 1/42
, -
!
2004
, 9.23% , , 6/63
, 0.88% , , 0/30
, 0.99% , , 1/73
, 0.75% , , 1/80
, 1.72% , , 1/49
, 1.00% , , 0/30
, 0.96% , , 0/33
, 0.45% , , 0/30
, 1.75% , , 1/42
, -
!
2009
, 4.13% , , 3/63
, 0.36% , , 0/30
, 0.40% , , 0/73
, 0.23% , , 0/80
, 0.35% , , 0/49
, 0.26% , , 0/30
, 0.51% , , 0/33
, 0.15% , , 0/30
, 0.17% , , 0/42
, -
!
2014
, 6.16% , , 4/63
, 0.21% , , 0/30
, 0.44% , , 0/73
, 0.17% , , 0/80
, 0.27% , , 0/49
, 0.13% , , 0/30
, 0.88% , , 0/33
, 0.09% , , 0/30
, 0.48% , , 0/42
, -
!
2019
, 2.60% , , 2/63
, 0.09% , , 0/30
, 0.21% , , 0/73
, 0.10% , , 0/80
, 0.09% , , 0/49
, 0.08% , , 0/30
, 0.30% , , 0/33
, 0.06% , , 0/30
, 0.28% , , 0/42
Municipal elections
, -
! Election
! Votes
! %
, -
!
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
,
, 2.6%
, -
!
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, 334,504
, 1.3%
, -
!
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, 168,351
, 0.6%
, -
!
2016
, 238,000
, 0.62%
, -
!
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
, 157,700
, 0.52%
, -
See also
*
List of political parties in South Africa
This is a list of political parties in South Africa. South Africa is a democratic but one-party dominant state with the African National Congress as the governing party. Other parties such as the Democratic Alliance govern provinces and municipa ...
References
*
External links
United Democratic Movement(official site)
{{South Africa topics
1997 establishments in South Africa
Political parties established in 1997
Political parties in South Africa
Social democratic parties in South Africa