African Transformation Movement

ATM was founded in 2018 by the South African Council of Messianic Churches in Christ. However, there were claims that former president Jacob Zuma's faction of the African National Congress had a hand in its formation.{{Cite web |last=Plessis |first=Carien du |date=2019-05-06 |title=Prophecy or political party? The ATM, a church, Jacob Zuma & a 50-year history |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-05-06-prophecy-or-political-party-the-atm-a-church-jacob-zuma-a-50-year-history/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}}

Ahead of the 2019 election, a key Zuma ally, Mzwanele Manyi, joined the party,{{Cite web |author=Staff Reporter |date=2019-01-09 |title=Mzwanele Manyi finds new political home |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2019-01-09-mzwanele-manyi-finds-new-political-home/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}} though he would later leave in 2023.

Following the 2024 South African general election, the party joined the Progressive Caucus, a left-wing parliamentary faction which includes the Economic Freedom Fighters and uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) parties.{{cite web | last=Ferreira | first=Emsie | title=African Transformation Movement challenges election results and demands a rerun | website=The Mail & Guardian | date=2024-06-16 | url=https://mg.co.za/politics/2024-06-16-like-mk-party-atm-challenges-election-results-and-demands-a-rerun/ | access-date=2024-06-21}} In March 2025, ATM and MK announced they would be entering a pact to work together electorally and in parliament.{{Cite web |last=Capa |first=Siyamtanda |title=UPDATE {{!}} 'No party will swallow the other': ATM and MKP enter pact to work together |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/politics/mk-party-and-atm-enter-into-political-pact-to-work-together-20250306 |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}

==Policy==

In January 2019, it was announced that the party, if brought to power, would return the death penalty and scrap low pass marks in public schools.

Mzwanele Manyi, the former chief of policy and strategy for the ATM, further states that the party plans to bring about capital punishment regardless of the constitution not consenting to such matters. Manyi claims that this is due to South Africa being abused as a "haven" for people who commit crimes and need a place to evade the law.{{cite web|url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2019-01-11-from-the-death-penalty-to-scrapping-low-pass-marks--manyis-ambitions-for-the-atm/|title=From the death penalty to scrapping low pass marks: Manyi's ambitions for the ATM|website=TimesLIVE}}

In December 2021, the party said that it opposed mandatory vaccinations against COVID-19.{{Cite web |last=Moatshe |first=Rapula |title=African Transformation Movement says it rejects, opposes mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations |url=https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/news/african-transformation-movement-says-it-rejects-opposes-mandatory-covid-19-vaccinations-11c18c9f-55f2-4785-b892-edfa413bb00b |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=www.iol.co.za |language=en}}

The party contested its first elections in 2019, winning two seats nationally, as well as one each in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal legislatures.

{{election table}}

|-

! Election

! Party leader

! Total votes

! Share of vote

! Seats

! +/–

! Government

|-

! 2019{{Cite web | title = 2014 National and Provincial Elections Results – 2014 National and Provincial Election Results | url = http://www.elections.org.za/resultsNPE2014/ | publisher = IEC | access-date = 11 May 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140510231542/http://www.elections.org.za/resultsNPE2014/ | archive-date = 10 May 2014 | url-status = dead }}

| rowspan=2 |Vuyolwethu Zungula

| 76,830

| 0.44%

| {{Composition bar|2|400|hex={{party color|African Transformation Movement}}}}

| New

| {{no2|Opposition}}

|-

!2024

| 63,554

| 0.40%{{efn|From 2024, seats in the National Assembly are determined by a combination of the national ballot, and the nine regional ballots. Only the national ballot figures are shown here.}}

|{{Composition bar|2|400|hex={{party color|African Transformation Movement}}}}

|{{steady}} 0

|{{no2|Opposition}}

|}

{{Notelist}}

{{election table}}

! rowspan=2 | Election{{Cite web |url=https://www.elections.org.za/NPEDashboard/app/dashboard.html |title=Results Dashboard| website=www.elections.org.za |access-date=2019-05-11}}

! colspan=2 | Eastern Cape

! colspan=2 | Free State

! colspan=2 | Gauteng

! colspan=2 | Kwazulu-Natal

! colspan=2 | Limpopo

! colspan=2 | Mpumalanga

! colspan=2 | North-West

! colspan=2 | Northern Cape

! colspan=2 | Western Cape

|-

! % !! Seats

! % !! Seats

! % !! Seats

! % !! Seats

! % !! Seats

! % !! Seats

! % !! Seats

! % !! Seats

! % !! Seats

|-

! 2019

| 1.52% || 1/63

| 0.78% || 0/30

| 0.25% || 0/73

| 0.49% || 1/80

| 0.28% || 0/49

| 0.61% || 0/30

| 0.39% || 0/33

| 0.24% || 0/30

| 0.24% || 0/42

|-

! 2024{{Cite web |title=NPE Results Dashboard 2024 |url=https://results.elections.org.za/dashboards/npe/ |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=results.elections.org.za}}

| 1.55% || 1/73

| 0.71% || 0/30

| 0.29% || 0/80

| 0.18% || 0/80

| 0.09% || 0/64

| 0.43% || 0/51

| 0.16% || 0/38

| 0.10% || 0/30

| 0.28% || 0/42

|}

{{election table}}

|-

!Election

!Votes

!%

!Seats

|-

!2021{{cite web | url=https://results.elections.org.za/home/LGEPublicReports/1091/Detailed%20Results/National.pdf | title=2021 Results Summary – All Ballots | publisher=elections.org.za | access-date=23 November 2021}}{{Cite web |title=News24 |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/elections/map/lge |access-date=2021-11-22 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}

|189,943

|0.62%

|53

|}

{{Reflist}}

{{South Africa political parties}}

Category:2018 establishments in South Africa

Category:Capital punishment in South Africa

Category:Christian democratic parties in South Africa

Category:Conservative parties in South Africa

Category:Political parties established in 2018