By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Caption: Musi Maimane from Bosa, Patricia de Lille from the Good Party and Songezo Zibi from Rise Mzanzi. Picture: X/@Unite4ChangeZA.
Build One South Africa (BOSA), GOOD Party, and Rise Mzansi have merged to form a new political party called Unite for Change to contest the 2026 local elections.
The three will still exist independently.
The new party, which would be a single political entity, will be registered with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
Unite For Change promises ethical leadership, better jobs, service delivery, and inclusive governance, according to Bosa leader Mmusi Maimane, who spoke at the party announcement media briefing on Sunday.
“It is that unity of purpose that brings about change. It’s been a great privilege to work with both Patricia, Songezo and many other leaders to say this journey must culminate together, and there are many others that we are currently engaged with.”
Zibi said, “We agreed to come together behind a common electoral and political program.”
“Today, we unite for dignity, for justice, for working municipalities—today, we Unite for Change.”
Good Party leader Patricia de Lille said Unite for Change is more than just a political party.
“It’s a new inclusion direction, consolidating our parties and resources, but it is but the first step. The real hard work is to persuade South Africans to join the quest for something better.
The GOOD Party and Rise Mzansi are both part of the current Government of National Unity (GNU), formed in 2024 after no single party secured an outright majority in the general election.
Their involvement in the GNU has positioned them as key centrist players in an increasingly fragmented political environment.
The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by all three founding parties states that the National Executive Committee will adopt a candidate selection model that prioritises merit-based selections in respect of all candidate lists.