Founded in Matatiele on 12 December 2005,[3] the AIC was a protest against the location of the area within the boundaries of the Eastern Cape province rather than KwaZulu-Natal as a result of the 12th Amendment of the Constitution of South Africa put forward by the ANC government.

[1] In the 2014 South African general election, the AIC received 97,462 votes, 0.53% of the total, winning three seats in the National Assembly.

Some analysts believe the party picked up mistaken votes due to its proximity on the ballot with, and close similarities to, the name and logo of the African National Congress.

[6][7] In March 2019, in the run-up to the 2019 general election, the party's national executive was dissolved by a court ruling, the aftermath of disputes between factions supporting the party's president Mandla Galo, and deputy president Lulama Ntshayisa, over credentials for the elective congress, which took place in August 2018.

The party was left with R83 in its bank account due to the legal costs, leaving its participation in the national elections in doubt.