Former DA MP and Tshwane mayor Stevens Mokgalapa was unveiled as one of the candidates for Mmusi Maimane’s party, Build One South Africa (Bosa), who will go to Parliament.
Bosa announced 24 candidates that will stand for election to Parliament and provincial legislatures.
The unveiling was done on Tuesday led by Maimane and his deputy Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster.
The first 24 candidates are a diverse grouping in age, gender, race, and ethnicity, and together they have corporate experience and community activism.
According to Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster, successful candidates have been through their robust candidate selection process. This seeks to attract new talent, fresh ideas, and valuable skills and experience to South Africa’s lawmaking bodies.
She said they aimed to give South Africans back their power to be able to put credible and trusted leaders in government that cared about the country and delivered services to the people.
Maimane urged South Africans to stand up and build a new Parliament in 2024 that is filled with a constellation of excellence ready to turn the country around.
“Let’s stop waiting to be led, South Africa. Let’s stand up and build a new Parliament in 2024 that is filled with a constellation of South African excellence ready to turn our country around and get it working,” he said.
Maimane said one of their core pledges was to improve the quality of elected representatives and to guarantee that they are directly accountable to the country and their communities.
“On August 1, we unveiled the first 24 of 400 public representatives proposed by their communities, representing their communities and accountable to, and dismissable, by their communities,” Maimane said.
He stated that citizens deserve the best in government, adding that people who work hard, know how to get things done, and want to see South Africa thrive.
“South Africans deserve the best of the best in government: doctors, nurses, schoolteachers, entrepreneurs, miners, factory workers, software programmers, academics, lawyers, environmentalists, businesspeople, and governance specialists - people who work hard, know how to get things done, and want to see South Africa thrive.
“It is time to get rid of the corrupt dead-weight that occupy the seats of power owing to the closed party list system,” he said.
The other candidates for Bosa are Sarah Sikhosana, Lumka Mquqo, Julia Maluleke, Eloise Briggeman, Maria Du Toit and Emmanuel Munyai.
The party also said Madiseng Phala, Lemo Nkomo, Timothy Maluleke, Kathy Berman, Dumisani Hlatshwayo, Martha Mashinga and Richard Moheta will join its benches in parliament if they get elected.
The last remaining candidates named on Tuesday include Tania Coenrad, Ezekiel Maunatlala, Nikilitah Mxinwa, Wayne Bennett, Roger Solomons, Athenkosi Tyapha, Keaitumela Gabonewe, Dikeledi Ditabo, Sizwe Skhosana and dKwandile Sikhosana
IOL Politics