We will unite South Africans from all communities in a new political home, built on the foundation of the principles and ideals of our National Constitution. To this end we will address poverty and imbalances in our society, inspired by our unifying love of our Country and its people.
The Core Values, which the United Democratic Movement will uphold and promote and upon which its fundamental policy positions are based, are as follow : respect for life, dignity and human worth of every individual; integrity in public- and private life; the individual rights and freedoms enshrined in our Country’s Constitution;
President of the UDM
Major General (Retired) Bantubonke ‘Bantu’ Holomisa co-founded the United Democratic Movement (UDM) on 27 September 1997, and serves as its elected President, which in 2022 celebrated its 25th year of existence. He was again elected as a Member of Parliament in the 2024 National and Provincial Elections and was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans in the Government of National Unity in the 7th Administration in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet.
He was the Commander of the Transkei Defence Force and Head of the Transkei Government (former independent homeland from 1987 to 1994) up to the first National Elections in South Africa in 1994. He was one of the first two black persons accepted by the South African Army College to do a one-year senior staff course for officers in 1984.
Contribute For Us
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has worked diligently to promote the interests of all South Africans over the years. Despite the challenges and stumbling blocks the party rose to the occasion and scored many political victories. Our successes are manifested in our public representation at various levels of government across the country, but also in the influence we have had irrespective of the ruling party’s parliamentary majority.
The UDM’s vision is to be “…the political home of all South Africans, united in the spirit of South Africanism by our common passion for our Country, mobilising the creative power inherent in our rich diversity, towards our transformation into a Winning Nation”.
Admin
04 Jul, 2026
Statement by Ms Bulelwa Zondeka, Chairperson of the United Democratic Movement in the Western Cape The United Democratic Movement (UDM) in the Western Cape notes the arrest of five suspects following the reported discovery of an illegal alcohol manufacturing operation in Gugulethu, where police allegedly found chemicals, bottles, labels, packaging material and equipment used in the production of illicit alcohol. The UDM in the Western Cape welcomes this police action. Illegal and counterfeit alcohol is not a minor offence. It places lives at risk, avoids regulation, undermines lawful traders and feeds a wider alcohol economy that already causes serious damage in many Western Cape communities. This matter must not be treated as an isolated Gugulethu incident. Reports of counterfeit and illicit alcohol operations in areas such as Eerste River and Paarl show that illegal alcohol production and distribution in the province is organised, profitable and dangerous. These operations do not only break the law. They put unsafe products into communities that are already struggling with alcohol-related harm. The Western Cape has a long and painful relationship with alcohol misuse. The damage is visible in household poverty, domestic violence, road crashes, trauma units, foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, school dropouts, crime and the weakening of family life. In many communities, alcohol abuse is not only a personal problem. It is tied to unemployment, despair, overcrowding, violence, poor access to treatment and the absence of safe social spaces, especially for young people. This is also a rural and farmworker issue. The old dop-system, where farmworkers were partly paid in alcohol, is illegal and may no longer exist in its crude historical form on most farms. However, the legacy of that system has not disappeared. Alcohol dependency, poverty, poor living conditions and the historic use of alcohol as a tool of control have left deep scars in many farming communities. The UDM in the Western Cape therefore calls for a serious provincial response that deals with both enforcement and social conditions. The South African Police Service, the Western Cape Liquor Authority, the South African Revenue Service, municipalities and health authorities must work together to trace illegal supply chains, shut down counterfeit operations, act against corrupt facilitation and protect communities from unsafe alcohol. At the same time, the Western Cape provincial government must confront the social roots of alcohol abuse. Poverty, unemployment, trauma, weak recreational facilities, poor access to rehabilitation services and the historic exploitation of farmworkers cannot be policed away. Communities need visible enforcement, but they also need treatment services, family support, youth programmes, safer public spaces and proper oversight of alcohol outlets. The UDM in the Western Cape further calls for a focused investigation into alcohol harm in farming communities, including whether any form of the dop-system, informal alcohol inducement or alcohol-linked labour control still exists. Farmworkers must not be trapped in conditions where poverty, dependency and substance abuse are normalised. The Gugulethu bust is a warning. The Western Cape cannot allow illegal alcohol factories, counterfeit alcohol networks, unregulated alcohol outlets and old patterns of exploitation to operate while communities carry the damage. Alcohol policy must protect people first, especially children, women, farmworkers and poor households who carry the heaviest burden.
Admin
04 Jul, 2026
Statement by Remington Mazibuko, Councillor in the Inkosi Mtubatuba Local Municipality and UDM KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Chairperson The United Democratic Movement (UDM) in Mtubatuba extends its sincere condolences to the family, friends, colleagues and community of Councillor BP Mthiyane of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Ward 21 councillor in the Inkosi Mtubatuba Local Municipality, following his passing last night. Councillor Mthiyane’s passing has come as a shock to many in the municipality. He was known as a humble man who cared about the people of Ward 21 and served his community with commitment. Although we served from different political parties, we shared the responsibility of serving the people of Mtubatuba. In local government, councillors are closest to residents, and the loss of a ward councillor is felt directly by the community that relied on him for representation, assistance and leadership. On behalf of the UDM in KwaZulu-Natal and Mtubatuba, I convey our condolences to Councillor Mthiyane’s family, the IFP, the Inkosi Mtubatuba Local Municipality, his fellow councillors and the residents of Ward 21. May his family find strength during this difficult time, and may his contribution to his community be remembered with respect.
Admin
04 Jul, 2026
Statement by Bulelani Bobotyane, Secretary General of the United Democratic Movement The United Democratic Movement (UDM) notes with concern reports that the Boipatong Monument and Youth Heritage Centre in Vanderbijlpark has been neglected, despite public funding reportedly having been allocated for its upkeep and operation. This matter is not only about the reported R2.3 million. It points to a wider failure to maintain historical sites, museums, monuments, archives and community heritage facilities across South Africa. The Boipatong Monument honours the victims of the Boipatong Massacre of 17 June 1992, when 45 people were killed in one of the most painful events of the final years of apartheid. A site of this nature must not be allowed to decay because officials failed to maintain it, account for funds or manage its operations properly. However, this national problem is not limited to Struggle history. South Africa’s history is broad, layered and shared. It includes indigenous, cultural, colonial, military, labour, religious, scientific, artistic, community and liberation history. It also includes archaeological sites, museums, historic buildings, battlefields, graves, archives, libraries, memorials and places of community memory. When these places are neglected, the country loses more than buildings. It loses evidence, records, artefacts, oral histories, research material, local identity and opportunities for public education. This pattern can be seen in poorly maintained heritage sites, closed or underused museums, deteriorating historic buildings and community heritage centres that exist on paper but do not function properly. These are not isolated administrative problems. They point to a national failure of heritage governance. Museums and heritage sites are public institutions of memory, education and identity. They support research, tourism, local economic activity and cultural work, and give communities a place to record their own experiences. The UDM is disturbed by allegations that families of victims and survivors have had to clean and maintain the Boipatong site themselves. The reported failure to pay local artists and performers involved in heritage events also requires answers. Victims’ families and cultural workers should not be used to cover government failure. The UDM calls on the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, provincial departments, municipalities and heritage agencies to provide a national account of publicly funded heritage sites that are closed, derelict, underused or without proper maintenance plans. This must include the condition of each site, the money allocated and spent, the responsible authority, the operational status, and the steps being taken to restore public access. The UDM further calls for consequence management where heritage funds have been wasted, misdirected or left without visible results. Heritage budgets cannot become another channel for failed projects, inflated contracts and ceremonial spending without proper maintenance. South Africa cannot speak about nation-building while allowing museums, archives, monuments, historic buildings and community heritage centres to deteriorate. The preservation of history is a public duty requiring maintenance, staffing, security, conservation, record-keeping, community involvement and honest reporting. This failure also reflects an imbalance in the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. Sport is important and deserves support, but it cannot be elevated to near-sacred status while arts, culture, heritage, museums, archives and community history are left to decay. A country’s identity is not built on stadiums and tournaments alone. It is also built through language, memory, artefacts, performances, historic buildings, artists, cultural workers and the places that tell communities who they are. Boipatong must be treated as part of a national problem. South Africa needs a clear heritage infrastructure recovery plan that covers all forms of heritage and restores public access to sites that have been allowed to fail.
Admin
04 Jul, 2026
Statement by Mr Chris Mtyaleka, UDM Eastern Cape Provincial Fundraiser and Jeffreys Bay resident The United Democratic Movement (UDM) in Jeffreys Bay notes with serious concern the continued allegations of sewage pollution affecting Jeffreys Bay, KwaNomzamo, Humansdorp and the Seekoei Estuary. This is not a distant administrative matter. It affects residents directly. It concerns public health, the safety of beaches, the protection of the environment, local businesses, tourism, and the credibility of the Kouga Local Municipality. The Public Protector’s report, dated 29 September 2025, found that the allegation that the Kouga Local Municipality had failed to properly maintain the Jeffreys Bay and KwaNomzamo wastewater treatment works was substantiated. That finding cannot be answered with public relations language, technical excuses or vague promises of future improvement. This matter did not begin yesterday. The complaint reportedly dates back to 2019, while residents and activists have alleged that people have been exposed to contaminated water in the Seekoei Estuary since around 2016. That means this community has lived with sewage-related risk for years. The municipality now says that an implementation plan requested by the Public Protector in September 2025 has been tabled before council, approved, and is being implemented. That may be the municipality’s position, but the real test is whether sewage spills stop, whether the wastewater treatment works function properly, whether water quality is safe, and whether residents receive honest and timeous information. By July 2026, residents are entitled to ask what has actually changed since the Public Protector’s report. They are entitled to know what work has been completed, what remains outstanding, what deadlines apply, and who is responsible for delivery. The UDM in Jeffreys Bay is concerned that residents, activists and affected communities have had to raise these issues over several years before meaningful action became visible. No municipality should wait for repeated complaints, media attention or formal findings before maintaining wastewater infrastructure, protecting public health and safeguarding the environment. Jeffreys Bay is a residential area, a tourism destination, an economic asset and part of South Africa’s coastal heritage. Pollution of beaches and estuaries damages public confidence, affects local businesses, threatens livelihoods and places residents at unnecessary risk. The UDM in Jeffreys Bay calls on the Kouga Local Municipality to urgently publish a clear progress report on the implementation of the Public Protector’s remedial action. The report must explain what has been done since 29 September 2025, what remains outstanding, what budget has been allocated, and when residents can expect verifiable improvement. The municipality must also provide regular public updates on water quality testing, sewage spills, beach or estuary closures, and any public health risks. These updates must be factual, accessible and consistent. Residents should not have to rely on rumours, social media posts or activist monitoring to know whether their environment is safe. The UDM in Jeffreys Bay further calls on the Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism to ensure that its investigation is properly concluded, and that any failures by the municipality, officials, contractors or service providers are acted upon. The people of Jeffreys Bay, KwaNomzamo, Humansdorp and surrounding communities deserve clean water, safe beaches, functioning wastewater treatment works and straight answers from those responsible. The UDM in Jeffreys Bay will continue to press for measurable remedial action, public reporting and proper accountability from the Kouga Local Municipality and all responsible authorities. Consistent. UDM. Present. Accountable. Local government that works.
