African Renaissance Unity Party

The African Renaissance Unity Party (ARU) is a South African political party founded to lobby for the interests of traditional chiefs and their communities. The party's leaders are all traditional chiefs.

African Renaissance Unity Party
Founder	Bryce Mthimkhulu
Founded	2018
National Assembly seats	0 / 400
Provincial Legislatures	0 / 430
Website
www.facebook.com/AfricanRenaissanceUnity/
Politics of South Africa Political parties Elections

At its launch, the party promised to reduce unemployment by 70%, double pensions and provide free tertiary education.^[1]

Controversy

Party leader Bryce Mthimkhulu, who describes himself as King Mthimkhulu III and king of the amaHlubi nation in KwaZulu-Natal, was warned by then president Jacob Zuma in 2016 to stop using the term, and was taken to court by the government (which lost the case).^[2][3]

Election results

The party contested the 2019 general election at the national level, and provincial level in the Free State, Kwazulu-Natal and Limpopo, failing to win any seats.

National elections

Election	Total votes	Share of vote	Seats	+/–	Government
2019	3,860	0.02%	0 / 400	–	extraparliamentary

Provincial elections

Election[4]	Eastern Cape		Free State		Gauteng		Kwazulu-Natal		Limpopo		Mpumalanga		North-West		Northern Cape		Western Cape
	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats
2019	-	-	0.02%	0/30	-	-	0.04%	0/80	0.03%	0/49	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-