---
title: "Faction-ridden Icosa to support People’s Movement for Change after poll registration failure"
description: "The Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa will not contest the general elections next month after infighting, court battles and the suspension of senior party leaders. The party has, however, confirmed its support for Marius Fransman’s People’s Movement for Change."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "ROAD TO 2024 ELECTIONS"
author: "Suné Payne"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/sune-payne/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-04-09-faction-ridden-icosa-to-support-peoples-movement-for-change-after-poll-registration-failure/"
published: "2024-04-09T20:43:49"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 368
---

# Faction-ridden Icosa to support People’s Movement for Change after poll registration failure

> The Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa will not contest the general elections next month after infighting, court battles and the suspension of senior party leaders. The party has, however, confirmed its support for Marius Fransman’s People’s Movement for Change.

By Suné Payne · Published 9 April 2024, 22:43 SAST

## Key points
- With less than 50 days to go until the general elections, the drama-filled saga of Icosa's leadership dispute has led them to throw their weight behind the People’s Movement for Change, opting out of the race themselves due to internal chaos and a pending court case, as the PMC gears up for battle with a boost from unexpected allies.
- Icosa, facing leadership disputes, will not contest elections and has decided to support PMC.
- Interim Icosa leadership, led by Kamfer, met with PMC officials to discuss key issues.
- Icosa will not have members on PMC's list due to double membership restrictions in Icosa's constitution.
- Fransman of PMC excited by Icosa's support, plans to contest elections at provincial and national levels.

## Content

With fewer than 50 days left before the general elections, the Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa (Icosa) has decided to support the People’s Movement for Change (PMC).

**Read more in Daily Maverick:**[Elections 2024](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/elections-2024/)

Icosa will not contest the elections because of a leadership dispute and factional fighting between suspended party president Jeffrey Donson and suspended Western Cape provincial leader Dawid Kamfer. This has rendered Icosa unable to contest the elections due to an active court case around its leadership.

**Read more in Daily Maverick:**[Suspensions, counter-suspensions and the bizarre battle for leadership threaten to rend Icosa](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-10-11-suspensions-counter-suspensions-and-the-bizarre-battle-for-leadership-threaten-to-rend-icosa/)

Icosa’s interim leadership — led by Kamfer — met various political parties to discuss who it would support on 29 May.

Over the weekend, they met PMC officials including party president Marius Fransman in Ceres to discuss key issues, including the renaming of Cape Town International Airport to Krotoa, farm evictions, electricity blocking, water issues and the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Bill.

**Read more in Daily Maverick:**[Drama in Parliament as DA and ACDP MPs walk out of Bela Act draft report deliberations](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-08-16-drama-in-parliament-as-da-and-acdp-mps-walk-out-of-bela-act-draft-report-deliberations/)

According to Icosa, while the party will support the PMC, no member of Icosa will be on the PMC’s list of representatives nor will they become members of the PMC “because Icosa’s constitution does not make provision for double membership”.

Fransman, the former ANC Western Cape leader, told *Daily Maverick* on Tuesday that the PMC would contest the elections at the provincial and national levels. The PMC and Icosa are both based in the Western Cape, where the PMC is expected to draw the majority of its support.

**Read more in Daily Maverick:**[Revealed — one in six SA political party leaders has a shady past](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-04-04-revealed-one-in-six-sa-political-party-leaders-has-a-shady-past/)

Fransman said he was “excited” by the prospect of Icosa, a party that had been around for more than 10 years and had council representation in five municipalities, backing his fledgling party. He said there were also indications of support from a small Drakenstein-based party.

The PMC recently gained notable party members such as former Cape Town mayor [Dan Plato](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-02-13-dan-plato-ditches-da-over-policies-and-palestine-joins-marius-fransmans-new-party/) and Nceba Enge, the Western Cape deputy chairperson of the SA National Taxi Council, who is the party’s secretary-general. **DM**