Breaking away is hard to do, as the SA Democratic Congress (Sadec) discovered on Monday that the name they chose to contest the next election had already been taken.

"I am disappointed by the fact that we have not been able to finalise this issue of the names," said spokesperson Mbulelo Ncedana hours after releasing the movement's new choice of name.

The names only differ in acronym — the new party's acronym is minus an "o", and if not resolved, the Independent Electoral Commission would have to make a ruling in line with electoral law which states that names and logos should not be confusingly similar.

"We are not going to be fighting over names, but we had hoped to use it to contest the December 10 by-elections," said Ncedana.

In an earlier statement announcing their choice, Sadec said: "The name embodies the newness and change of the South African political landscape."

The original choice of name — the SA National Convention — was challenged in court by the ANC, their previous political home, on the grounds that it was too similar to theirs.

The ANC issued a statement earlier saying it did not object to Sadec.

In the month the organisers had to arrange the convention, they had to change venues three times, cancel the hire of an overflow stadium and, reportedly fend of a cybersquatter on their homepage.

At a convention in Sandton at the weekend, it was agreed that the movement would launch a political party in Bloemfontein on 16 December.

Ncedana explained that whatever name they finally settled on for the by-elections would be an interim name until it was ratified at the party's launch.

Sadeco general secretary Samuel Kennedy meanwhile said he had left a message for Sadec leader Terror Lekota to call him to discuss the matter.

"I thought it prudent that I talk to Terror Lekota first rather than go public in the first instance," he said.

He said that name was registered at the beginning of 2008 by a group that broke away from the National Democratic Convention, which had broken away from the Inkatha Freedom Party, formed after its leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi broke away from the ANC Youth League.

Meanwhile, the Sadec steering committee appointed an interim leadership structure to lead the movement toward the launch on December 16. Lekota is the chairman, Mbhazima Shilowa, the convenor, Charlotte Lobe, secretary and Mluleki George, treasurer.

Nine provincial convenors are still to be appointed by the provinces.

Reacting to the announcement of a new party, the African Christian Democratic Party leader Kenneth Meshoe said it raised hopes for the health of multi-party democracy in South Africa.

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder said it was the beginning of the end of the ANC and post-election coalitions would force the ANC into opposition in certain provinces.

The Azanian People's Organisation said the ANC's reference to the dissidents as "dogs" and "snakes" showed their intolerance to opposition.

The United Democratic Movement accused ANC president Jacob Zuma of selective amnesia and hypocrisy after statements he made about the formation of a new party.

"Is it not ironic that he would point fingers at so-called 'black' parties working with so-called 'white' parties, when the ANC is still feeding on the carcass of the National Party, the very party that had oppressed the majority for decades?" asked UDM leader Bantu Holomisa.

"It is hypocrisy of the highest order for the ANC to pursue cooperation with any political party when it suits them - including the DA when the ANC was desperate to fight Truman Prince, but when it doesn't suit the ANC, it calls people who discuss cooperation 'snakes'.

"The capitalists that he accuses of being in opposition are as nothing to the multi-millionaires who back him and bankroll the ANC, even recently writing out cheques in public for millions in donations to the ANC, presumably to protect their access to state contracts and tenders."

AFP