By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South Africa has another political party, Rise Mzansi, which was launched at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Rise Mzansi, which defines itself as a “people-driven alternative”, held its official launch earlier today.
The party will be led by Songezo Zibi, who is an author and former editor of two of big publications, Business Day and the Financial Mail.
Speaking at the launch at Constitution Hill, Zibi said the party’s goal is to build the country based on its core principles.
“Our goal is to build a country based on the principles of justice, freedom, equality, solidarity and integrity. These are not just Rise Mzansi’s values but the values that must enter to revive the South African dream.”
“Rise Mzansi comes at a time where South African voters are looking for alternative political homes as they have grown deeply disgruntled with the current political parties and systems.”
Zibi believes the mess the country finds itself in is not due to a lack of political parties but rather that society has become broken.
He described the country’s political system as “broken”.
Zibi encouraged people from civil society, religious institutions, and businesses to work with political parties to trigger a long-lasting transformation that would transcend generations.
Rise Mzansi will register with the Independent Electoral Commission and will contest elections nationally.
Zibi said since the dawn of democracy, the country has had unfinished business due to the ANC’s failure to adequately address the legacies of colonialism and apartheid that still linger on.
Rise Mzansi’s national organiser, Makashule Gana, who is a former DA member, said the party had visited numerous communities nationwide in 2022 to engage with them and know what they sought from political leaders.
Based on what was gathered, the most common comment was “there should be nothing about us without us”, Gana added.