By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane has announced that he will be running for president in the 2024 general elections.
The party has on Tuesday unveiled the first 24 of 200 candidates it will field for upcoming election in the 2024.
Maimane launched Bosa’s election campaign in Tshwane as the party celebrated its first anniversary.
He said the campaign was launched in Tshwane because Bosa is aiming to become the new occupants of the Union Buildings.
“It is time for change, that together with all South Africans we can build a country that prospers for all who live in it,” said Maimane.
He said although defeating the ANC might seem “audacious”, he believes it is possible.
“History teaches us that there comes a day where David must confront Goliath and indeed see a nation born in a day. Now is that time.”
Maimane also spoke about the social problems that face the country, including the high rate of unemployment and vowed that unemployment would be a thing of the past, if he emerges victorious.
“Many people, especially our young people worry about where their next job is going to come from – they’ve lost their place,” Maimane said.
“I am here to tell those young people, if 70% of you cannot find a job, one day a BOSA government is coming and that government is going to build, build, build.”
Maimane said Bosa will focus on providing jobs for South Africans. He claimed his party will be able to put a job in every home.
“Let’s put a job in every home and we do that by making sure our townships are places of economic zones where we can invest over R200 billion to create new jobs and wealth for our citizens,” he said.
He also said his party will roll out a programme where every unemployed person can take part in a six-month internship at a government institution, “so that when you go and look for work and they say ‘experience’… you can say ‘here is my talent’.”
As things stand, Bosa’s greatest asset is probably still Maimane himself, who is now running as the party’s presidential candidate.
Maimane’s original vision was to build a “platform” which would support independent candidates in running for office. That dream has effectively been kiboshed by the disappointing amendments made to date to South Africa’s electoral legislation, which as they stand would make it very difficult for independent candidates to actually win seats in the National Assembly.
Instead, then, Maimane has bowed to the inevitable and accepted the reality of Bosa as an opposition political party candidate in what looks likely to be an exceptionally crowded field.
Maimane’s attitude towards the DA’s Moonshot Pact, which aims to consolidate arrangements among opposition parties in advance of the elections, has also been highly equivocal.