TRUE to its name of building a united South Africa, Build One South Africa (Bosa) has welcomed the support of seven parties under its banner to mount a united challenge to the current ruling class and bring change to the country in the upcoming elections.
Speaking outside the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) in Pretoria yesterday (Wednesday), party leader Mmusi Maimane announced that in recognising that no one party could stand alone and represent the will of many vastly diverse communities across the country in Parliament, the party had taken the decision to take smaller groupings of citizens who were community-based and community-biased under its wing.
The parties represent communities spread across Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, the Free State, Northern Cape and Limpopo.
The parties, namely the Mopani Independent Movement (MIM), Lentswe La Batho, Abantu Integrity Movement (AIM), Moretele Independent Civic Organization (MICO), the New Horizon Movement, Movement of the People as well as the African Change Academy (ACA), have agreed not to contest the 2024 national and provincial elections as individual entities, but rather as a collective under the Bosa banner.
Even though Bosa will be the only party on the ballot come May 29, the leaders of the other parties will be accommodated as candidates or in leadership structures of the party.
“We champion the principle of ground-up, grass-roots decision-making as the most appropriate form of decision-making. And pragmatically, because trust in politics and politicians is at an all-time low in South Africa, citizens are demanding names and faces who are from their communities and who are accountable to their communities.”
Maimane explained that, unlike other groupings, the Bosa Alliance would not be restricted to this year’s national and provincial elections, but rather serve as the foundation for the next local government elections in 2026.
Bosa deputy leader Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster said the seven were not the only parties that were set to join Bosa, as negotiations were under way with other political parties, civil society organisations and religious organisations to grow the alliance.
“Ultimately what we have always pledged to be and committed to being is a party that has true representation of communities not only through our candidates but the organisations we are working alongside.”
Bosa is not the only political party that has begun the groundwork of coalitions and alliances in the run-up to the elections with the hope of coming out as a kingmaker.
Over the past few weeks, the Economic Liberators Forum South Africa (ELF-SA) has also been hard at work gathering the support of smaller parties ahead of the May elections.
So far it has joined forces with Freedom in South Africa (FISA) as well as Party of Action (POA), with plans under way for more parties to join.
“We are confident that ELF-SA will play a pivotal role as the kingmaker in the upcoming elections. We firmly believe that only through unity can we challenge the oppressive systems that have hindered our people from becoming true owners of the economic prosperity they rightfully deserve.
“The current status quo perpetuates the interests of the privileged few, while the majority continue to be marginalised and overlooked,” said ELF-SA president Hulisani Mani.