The Practical Radical Economic Transformation of South Africa (PretSA) was a South African political pressure group based in Mpumalanga and founded by businessman and political activist Themba Sigudla with the help of then-Premier David Mabuza. The group advocated for radical economic transformation (RET), land redistribution and increased roles for traditional leaders.
PretSA was launched in 2017 by Themba Sigudla, a flamboyant businessman and close friend of David Mabuza, at a three-day event in Witbank Dam. The organization gained prominence by promising to create "many Thembas" -referring to young Black millionaires - through state-linked business opportunities and housing projects.
In 2017, PretSA staged a protest at Kusile Power Station demanding job creation for local youth, which led to the provincial government pledging thousands of jobs. The movement also launched the "15-million voters campaign" ahead of the 2019 South African general election in favour of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and the "Thuma Mina Housing Project" to provide affordable housing by taking over existing units, leading to legal disputes with the Emalahleni Housing Company.
In early 2019, PretSA played a key role in forming the South African National Congress of Traditional Authorities (SANCOTA), a splinter party that sought to amplify the role of traditional leadership in politics. Sigudla was instrumental in aligning PretSAâÂÂs objectives with SANCOTAâÂÂs, especially around land reform and rural development.
The supported accelerated land redistribution in South Africa, the empowerment of Black-owned businesses through government procurement and formal recognition for traditional authorities and aligned ideologically with the Radical Economic Transformation (RET) agenda often associated with President Jacob Zuma and his ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. It wanted Dlamini-Zuma to succeed Zuma at the ANC's 2017 National Conference and Mabuza as her deputy