NATIONAL NEWS - In an interview on 702 on Monday, former Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane said that he was recruiting small parties to join the new political movement he has been hinting at starting with former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba.

Mashaba finally confirmed what many had already assumed – that he would be starting his own political party – in an interview with City Press on Sunday.

He maintained that his new party, which would officially be launching at the end of June, would be ready to contest the 2021 municipal elections, but could not confirm whether Maimane, as well as Dr Makhosi Khoza, who joined Mashaba and Maimane at several ‘people’s dialogues’ held around the country, would be joining the party.

Maimane also could not say what his role would be in the new party when interviewed.

“As far as the party that Mr Mashaba is referring to, that work still needs to be worked on and those details are still being ironed out,” he said.

He did, however, say that smaller parties were being recruited to form part of a political formation.

“We are already recruiting South Africans from all different parts of the country. We want to bring a number of political parties on the go,” Maimane said.

Maimane has been vague on whether the “movement” he and Mashaba are involved with would become a political party, initially saying he didn’t know if South Africa needed a new political party, but that we did need a new “vehicle”.

“A new political party may simply be saying ‘let’s add another colour to the many colours of political parties that exist’; we need a new coalition, a new vehicle,” he told eNCA last year.

He described this “new vehicle” as a “movement that is led by people for the people, that will challenge the status quo”. He added that he thought his “contribution to society is to get back to that discussion”.

However, following Mashaba’s announcement in City Press regarding the new party, it is being assumed in reports that this is the same “movement” Maimane has been speaking about.

“It is important that we call South African citizens under a movement for change. We are already recruiting South Africans from all parts of the country. To bring change is not going to take one individual, it will take a network of citizens,” he told 702.

“Even if we contest the elections, those elected are elected by the people. I am confident that this movement will bring a coalition of South Africans to bring change.

Source: Caxton publication, Alberton Record