Pretoria - Former ActionSA Gauteng provincial secretary Abel Tau, who was last year accused of attempting to rape a wife of his childhood friend, yesterday unveiled his political party, called United Africans Transformation (UAT), which aims to contest the 2024 provincial and national elections.
This came after he was booted out of ActionSA following the incident and an internal inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse brought up by at least three women.
Tau, who is also former MMC for Human Settlements in the City of Tshwane, is expected to appear in court in March in connection with sex abuse allegations brought up by the women.
Addressing the media in Pienaarspoort, he said: “In the next few months we will be officially launching as a political party that will be contesting the 2024 national and provincial elections; we will be talking to South Africans about our manifesto and elections offer.”
He said his party will be an alternative for the electorates, and will “ensure we turn the tables around and make sure the agenda of the ordinary people is brought to the table where the decisions will be made.”
He said party leaders will be criss-crossing the different provinces to meet with people in towns halls, show grounds, clubs, pubs, churches and in every space.
“We have experts in different fields who will help fix the challenges we face as a country.”
Party members will on Friday be part of a march against load shedding organised by civil rights movement #NotInMyName.
“We have seen our country grappling with water shortages and purification. Hammanskraal and Madibeng are but two examples of communities that we have already gone to as this organisation to drill water and provide them with tanks,” he said.
Tau also criticised an inquiry conducted by ActionSA into allegations levelled against him, saying it was a “staged disciplinary hearing”.
“I say it was staged because the outcomes of the hearing were premeditated right from the onset and tantamount to a kangaroo court. It is for that reason that I have lodged my papers with the High Court, North Gauteng Division.”
He reiterated his stance against gender-based violence and pleaded innocent to allegations of sexual abuse against him.
“I am not guilty of anything until the court pronounces otherwise,” he said.
Asked about the identity of funders of his party, Tau said: “Politics is not a cheap business and it would be very unfair to say that we are being bankrolled; suffice to say that most of our members believe in us.
“When we signed up we had well over 1 million people. These are the people who contribute as little as R10 towards the political party.”
Pretoria News