Build One South Africa (Bosa) leader, Mmusi Maimane, has announced his intention to contest next year’s general elections as president.
Maimane, who launched his campaign in Pretoria, told his supporters on Saturday that he was “preparing to change the occupants of the Union Buildings in 2024 and elect a new government that builds South Africa”.
He said the time for change had come, which was why he had elected Pretoria as its base for the launch of Bosa’s election campaign.
“This may seem an audacious task to some, but I believe this is a moment the nation is ready for. 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. Together we can build to win,” Maimane said.
Bosa marked its first anniversary on Heritage Day and Maimane added that over the past 12 months, he and (other) party leaders had been traversing the ground trying to build and attract over 20 000 activists.
He said now that the party was growing, it had enlisted the first of its 24 community candidates who were currently standing for election and are being appointed provincial leaders in all of the country’s nine provinces.
“A little more than a year ago, in the community of Naledi, Soweto, a group of passionate South Africans launched Bosa – Build One South Africa – to contest elections, to win elections and to govern to build one South Africa.
“Armed with a courageous dream, we declared that our country is too important to us to remain on the sidelines as spectators.
“Today we are here in Tshwane – the nation’s Capital City – preparing to change the occupants of the Union Buildings in 2024 and elect a new government that builds South Africa,” he said.
He said since its establishment over a year ago, the party had galvanised South Africans across many social issues including the war against Eskom and load shedding.
“As a party, we have raised tens of millions of rand, won legal battles against Eskom and government, and rolled out community-based projects that serve the needs of vulnerable citizens, are in the process of compiling a compelling vision document for the future of our nation,” he said.
He said part of the party’s DNA was to be a “government-in-working” – instead of a government in waiting.