Article

Maimane should join Mashaba


JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

NEXT month’s local government elections will be amongst the most important elections in South Africa’s post 1994 history. The country is at a crossroads. Change in leadership is desperately needed, if we seriously want to pull the country out of the mess it is in. Accountable, well-functioning governance is key to rapid development. With these elections, we have an opportunity to effect change and accountability in our communities.

There are many leaders we have an opportunity to choose from. Some of these leaders offer a sensible approach to addressing our problems, some are demagogues who run on dangerous populism. Given this reality, the burden is on the voters to cut through the nonsense, and elect sensible people who will be of great benefit to communities and the country.

One of the leaders who could make a huge positive, consequential difference in these elections is Mmusi Maimane.

Maimane was leader of South Africa’s biggest opposition party the Democratic Alliance (DA) for five years; from May 2015 to October 2019. After leaving the DA, along with former mayor of Johannesburg Herman Mashaba, Maimane founded what he calls One South Africa Movement (One SA Movement).

One SA Movement’s mission “is historic in that we must bring South Africa into a post-liberation era and a post-Covid-19 world where politics is broken and our economy is at the point of collapse. This means that we recognise the role of the ANC and other liberation movements but also that South Africa must become future focused.”, its website says.

Maimane’s plan in these elections is to partner and support independent candidates across South Africa. One SA Movement “is working with over 250 independent candidates who are targeting 12 municipalities across SA.”, according to TimesLive.

My view is that the best decision Maimane could take at this time would  be to join Herman Mashaba’s new party, Action South Africa (Action SA). As Action SA, the two can make a strong case for sensible, pro-market and clean governance in our communities.

They both believe that black economic empowerment (BEE) has failed South Africa’s black poor. Their crusade against BEE would be one of the most consequential political phenomena in the democratic South Africa. BEE is perhaps the biggest scam ever established in South Africa’s democracy. It needs robust opposition from black leaders.

I have disagreed with Maimane on some things, one of them being schools and the COVID19 pandemic over the past year. And his comments about “white privilege” can be troubling to me – because I think such comments are counterproductive for our nation. Our problems in post-1994 South Africa have nothing to do with “white privilege”. We must deal with corruption, labour unions that have run amok, bad public education, anti-growth policy, deadly crime, fatherlessness. All these ills are what slows our progress, not “white privilege”.

Maimane is not a socialist figure that would be destructive to the country if he were to become one of the most powerful leaders. His thinking is much better than the ANC’s and EFF’s.

Whatever the disagreements between these two men may be, I do not believe they are big enough to stop them from leading one political movement. It would do this country a great service if they were to lead Action SA.

What Maimane must understand is that this country needs a stronger, united opposition to the ANC. Having more and more small political movements that are weak does not help the cause. We have seen the small parties dying, or struggling to become a formidable opposition to the ANC. It is only the EFF that has managed to grow and double its support since its founding in 2013.

If the disagreements are about who should lead the party – that can be discussed, and they can come to consensus on the leadership roles. They can do this for South Africa, not for themselves.

South Africans need a defeated ANC. At this time, Maimane has a big role to play in that. He really should consider joining Mashaba. If not before these local government elections, then hopefully by 2024 he will. PM

© PHUMLANI M. MAJOZI


1 Comment

  • Thami Sibisi <span>October 24, 2021 at 4:28 pm</span>

    Very interesting viees Mr Majozi

    Reply

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