Mmusi Maimane’s One South Africa Movement (OSA) has put out a call for independent candidates who will be running in the upcoming local government elections. The Movement plans to support them as a solution to what it considers is a broken political system.
OSA was started by Maimane a year ago, following his resignation as leader of the Democratic Alliance. Many expected him to start his own political party but instead, Maimane began looking at new ways to address what he considers to be a system not working for its people.
Now, the OSA National Council has decided on a plan of action to support independent candidates over parties, replacing establishments with grassroots movement.
“We believe the political party system is fundamentally broken and adding another party to the ever-growing list is not a viable solution,” said OSA in a statement. “We will support, train, equip and campaign OSA endorsed independents in wards across the county,” it said.
They have put out a call for independent candidates to apply for this support. They have explained that they cannot support everyone and so will be considering each candidate on merit. The candidates will also need a list of signatures from ward residents who have pledged to support them.
Local elections are meant to be held sometime near the end of the year. However, political parties like the ANC and EFF have called for them to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has said this won’t happen and elections will go on as planned. OSA agrees with this decision.
“The time for real change in South Africa is now. And the power lies in the hands of the people, not the political parties” said OSA. “We are confident this year’s elections will be a watershed moment in history and we are therefore against the inclination to postpone the election.”
Those wanting to apply for support from OSA can find out how to submit their details here.
Picture: Mmusi Maimane/Facebook