MTHATHA, Wednesday 26 August 2026 — Prince Mlimandlela Ndamase, a former ANC Youth League figure with longstanding links to government and the AmaMpondo royal family, has left the ANC and joined the United Democratic Movement as the party seeks to strengthen its Eastern Cape campaign ahead of the November municipal elections.
UDM president Bantu Holomisa welcomed Ndamase to the party, describing him as a new member and volunteer who would contribute experience in government, local government, communications and rural development.
Ndamase previously participated in the ANC Youth League in the Eastern Cape and served in the Eastern Cape Youth Commission.
His subsequent career included senior government communications roles and work within the City of Johannesburg’s mayoral communications structures.
He served as a spokesperson to former Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane and later worked as director of mayoral communications in Johannesburg during the administration of former mayor Geoffrey Makhubo.
Ndamase is also a member of the AmaMpondo royal family, giving him a public profile extending beyond conventional party structures in the Eastern Cape.
Holomisa said the UDM did not expect Ndamase to disavow his previous political experience and would instead seek to use the skills he had developed during his time in and around government.
The move comes at an important point for the UDM.
The party has historically had its strongest political identity in the Eastern Cape, where Holomisa founded it after his expulsion from the ANC in the 1990s.
It is now seeking to strengthen its position around Mthatha, King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality, the wider OR Tambo region and Buffalo City ahead of the 4 November elections.
The UDM has selected deputy president Nqabayomzi Kwankwa as its mayoral candidate for Buffalo City, placing a senior national party figure at the head of its campaign in one of the province’s two metropolitan municipalities.
Ndamase’s arrival does not by itself establish that he will be a candidate in November.
The UDM announcement described him as a member and volunteer, and no confirmed candidacy for a particular ward or proportional-representation list was identified in the sources reviewed.
His move is nevertheless notable because it gives the UDM an experienced political communicator with ANC organisational experience and links to traditional leadership in an area where the party is seeking to expand.
It also comes as the ANC manages a series of internal candidate disputes in the Eastern Cape, including a threatened court challenge to its councillor nominations in Buffalo City.
Political parties have until Friday afternoon to submit their final candidate nominations to the IEC.
Whether Ndamase assumes a formal campaign or candidate role is therefore likely to become clearer as the UDM completes its election lists and moves into the final phase of campaigning.
