Former ANC Youth League leader and senior AmaMpondo prince Nkosi Mlimandlela Ndamase has dumped the governing party and found a new political home in the UDM, ahead of the November local government elections.
UDM president Bantu Holomisa announced on Tuesday that Ndamase had joined the party as a member and volunteer, saying his experience in political activism, strategic communication, local government and rural development would strengthen the organisation.
Ndamase’s political involvement dates back to his youth activism in the ANC Youth League in the Eastern Cape and his leadership in the Eastern Cape Youth Commission.
“Throughout his political and professional career, he has maintained a strong interest in rural development and in improving the circumstances of communities that remain geographically and economically marginalised,” Holomisa said.
Ndamase has also held several government communication positions, including serving as a ministerial spokesperson to current ANC first deputy secretary-general, Nomvula Mokoyane, when she served as a minister in different roles.
He has further been a mayoral spokesperson in the City of Johannesburg.
Holomisa said Ndamase had also applied his experience outside government through the establishment of a sports marketing company focused on positioning SA as an international sports tourism destination.
“The UDM and I warmly welcome Prince Ndamase’s decision to join the party.
“His experience and capabilities will strengthen our organisation as we prepare for the local government elections on November 4 2026 and beyond,” Holomisa said.
“Prince Ndamase brings valuable experience in government, rural development, local government and strategic communication.
“South Africa needs political organisations that can move beyond slogans and focus on competent administration, accountable leadership and practical solutions to the problems our people face every day.”
Holomisa said the UDM respected Ndamase’s political history and would not expect him to erase his association with the ANC.
“The UDM respects Prince Ndamase’s political history.
“We do not ask him to erase it. Experience acquired elsewhere does not disappear when political circumstances change.
“What matters now is what he brings to the future and how that experience can best serve the UDM and the people of South Africa,” he said.
He said political affiliation should ultimately be guided by conviction, conscience and an individual’s assessment of where he or she could make the greatest contribution to the country.
Holomisa said Ndamase’s experience would contribute to the UDM’s work in service delivery, rural development, municipal governance, strategic communication and rebuilding public confidence in democratic institutions.
“After the necessary internal consultation, the UDM leadership will determine how Prince Ndamase’s experience and capabilities can best be utilised in line with the organisation’s priorities,” he said.
“We therefore welcome Prince Ndamase, his experience, his commitment to rural communities and his willingness to place his skills at the service of the UDM and the people of South Africa. Welcome, Faku.”
Holomisa said SA was entering a critical period for political accountability, with parties needing to demonstrate that they could do more than win elections.
“The UDM believes South Africa is entering a period in which political parties must demonstrate that they are capable not merely of winning elections, but of assembling the people, expertise and institutional capacity required to govern effectively and deliver measurable improvements in the daily lives of citizens,” he said.
Ndamase is also the head and senior traditional leader of the Ngqubusini Traditional Council in Ngqeleni.