South Africa’s youngest political party (POA) officials are in Uganda where they have been hosted by selected political parties under the National Consultative Forum (NCF).
Party of Action (POA) president Billy Myaku and his team met the UPC party president Jimmy Akena on March 23, 2023 at Uganda House in Kampala.
Myaku was accompanied by POA’s women league leader Maria Malele, Roselina Tshailane (women league member), and the party’s secretary-general Mamoremi Koma, including the Limpopo Province Chairperson N. Tumelo.
POA’s main host in Uganda, TND News understands, is the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) with whom they share the same political ideologies.
PPP Secretary General Alira David P. Opii led his visitors to Uganda House where they met the Congress officials.
“Their main agenda was to trace the historical and ideological links between UPC, Uganda, and South Africa gave their great role in the liberation of African countries,” Muzeyi Faizo, UPC’s head of media and communications told TND News on Saturday.
According to Faizo, POA wanted to know “why UPC was overthrown twice and how it has managed to withstand the storm against all odds”.
“The party president offered enough time and shared experience(s) on the highlighted matters,” added Faizo.
The UPC Head of Ideology, Research, and Documentation Department also heading the party’s ideology school, Lwanga Christopher presented a paper titled: “UPC and Uganda relations in the struggle to end Apartheid Government in South Africa.”
The above paper, the head of media and communications said greatly contributed to their (POA) knowledge and gave a lot of clarifications on their areas of interest.
Myaku later appreciated the UPC leadership for what he described as “their warmest reception accorded to them and sharing such a rich literature”.
“We reached out to UPC because it’s one of the experienced Independence Political Parties in Africa with a track record on Nationalism, Pan-Africanism, and International,” added Myaku.
Akena thankful
In his remarks, Jimmy Akena thanked POA for “such an official visit to the party headquarters and among other issues, he reminded them that UPC, Uganda, and South Africa have a far long bond relationship”.
The relationship between Uganda and South Africa, UPC, and the African National Congress (ANC), Akena said witnessed other African countries attain their independence.
“UPC is open to such sister political parties,” he added.
Present at the meeting was the UPC Assistant Secretary General C. Bakkabulindi Ben Kigongo, National Workers Leader, Osinde Michael; Chief Administrative Secretary, Baliraine David; Assistant Head of Ideology, Research and Documentation Department Amon Bagarukayo.
Regional Vice Chairperson of Greater Kampala, Akomo Gideon, Personal Assistant to the party president, Muramuzi Donald, UPC South Africa Bureau Chief Benson Katundu, and PPP Legal Secretary Mr. Ochwo Timothy also attended the same meeting.