LACK of strategic coherence resulted in the floundering of the Agang SA project, political analyst Aubrey Matshiqi said.
Agang SA entered the poll as a first-time contender, positioning itself as a champion of governance.
Party leader Mamphela Ramphele promised Agang SA would come in as a new broom to sweep corruption clean.
Despite the country’s current battles with allegations of corruption within high levels of government, the party failed to impress the electorate.
At the time of going to print, Agang SA looked set to garner less than 0.2% of the vote, with fellow newcomer Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) already taking more than 5%.
Matshiqi said crafting a position as a fighter against corruption did not set Agang SA apart from other opposition parties, which had already built their profile on speaking out against it.
“Agang was not saying anything new to give itself a distinct identity from other political parties that were commenting on the state of the ANC and the state of the nation.”
While the party is most remembered for its short-lived marriage to the DA, Matshiqi said this was the final nail in the coffin for a political project.
He said it became incoherent when it was launched as a political “platform” instead of crafting out a clear identity from the beginning.
“People say the failed marriage with the DA destroyed Agang’s credibility, but it was already on its deathbed when Ramphele started to negotiate with Zille,” said Matshiqi.
This was exacerbated by a lack of depth in its leadership structure, Matshiqi added.
“Agang SA has had problems since its launch in February last year because it lacked strategic coherence.
“On top of that, Ramphele was the only leader.”
Matshiqi said being a lone leader created an impression of a leader who believed they knew it all.
“It doesn’t help to project yourself as the cleverest.
“All it does is portray someone as patronising and that is not attractive to the electorate.” — siyam@dispatch.co.za
Elections: Agang pays the price of unimpressive message
Agang SA entered the poll as a first-time contender, positioning itself as a champion of governance.
Party leader Mamphela Ramphele promised Agang SA would come in as a new broom to sweep corruption clean.
Despite the country’s current battles with allegations of corruption within high levels of government, the party failed to impress the electorate.
At the time of going to print, Agang SA looked set to garner less than 0.2% of the vote, with fellow newcomer Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) already taking more than 5%.
Matshiqi said crafting a position as a fighter against corruption did not set Agang SA apart from other opposition parties, which had already built their profile on speaking out against it.
“Agang was not saying anything new to give itself a distinct identity from other political parties that were commenting on the state of the ANC and the state of the nation.”
While the party is most remembered for its short-lived marriage to the DA, Matshiqi said this was the final nail in the coffin for a political project.
He said it became incoherent when it was launched as a political “platform” instead of crafting out a clear identity from the beginning.
“People say the failed marriage with the DA destroyed Agang’s credibility, but it was already on its deathbed when Ramphele started to negotiate with Zille,” said Matshiqi.
This was exacerbated by a lack of depth in its leadership structure, Matshiqi added.
“Agang SA has had problems since its launch in February last year because it lacked strategic coherence.
“On top of that, Ramphele was the only leader.”
Matshiqi said being a lone leader created an impression of a leader who believed they knew it all.
“It doesn’t help to project yourself as the cleverest.
“All it does is portray someone as patronising and that is not attractive to the electorate.” — siyam@dispatch.co.za
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