By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Change Starts Now will not contest in the 2024 national and provincial elections, CSN leader Roger Jardine announced on Thursday evening.
The party had launched its manifesto in Kliptown, Soweto, on 19 February 2024, setting out big ideas to improve society.
The banker-turned-party leader, in a statement posted to X, blamed the “…recent Constitutional Court ruling and the barriers it imposes on newly established political parties”, which means Change Starts Now “like several other parties, faces a prejudicial, logistical timetable to qualify for the ballot””
“We have therefore taken a decision that, while we believe that it is essential to give voters as much encouragement to vote by providing them with a range of options, in the interests of increasing the chances of political change, we offer support to political parties who share our values and the aspirations that we believe voters are looking for,” Jardine said.
On Monday, Constitutional Court declined to hear a matter relating to signature requirements for unrepresented political parties on an urgent basis. Political think tank Rivonia Circle and Mmusi Maimane’s Build One SA (Bosa) had petitioned the Constitutional Court in December 2023, to urgently finalise its decision on how many signatures new parties which are not represented in any of the legislatures needed for the elections.
This is after the Constitutional Court struck out the Electoral Amendment Act’s provision requiring that to stand, independents needed to obtain signatures equivalent to 15% of the votes required to win a seat in the previous election in the province in which they intended to register. It ruled that independent candidates required 1000 signatures of registered voter to register with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
However, the court stopped short of scrapping the 15% requirement for parties which are not represented in any of the legislatures.
Jardine launched Change Starts Now on 10 December last year, in Riverlea, Johannesburg.
Activist, Mark Heywood who quit his job to join the outfit said, he would continue with political work, but he will no longer work with Change Starts Now.