By Doreen Mokgolo
At just nine months old, Rise Mzansi is one of the 300 registered parties ready to compete in the national elections this year.
The party, which claims 250,000 volunteers, launched its people’s manifesto at the Heartfelt Arena in Tshwane on Saturday, with just under 4,000, mostly young people, in attendance.
This is said to be a huge success for a party that had only under a 100 members at its launch in April.
Party leader, Songezo Zibi, said the people who attended are mostly from Gauteng, as they could not afford to bus volunteers in from outside the venue.
“Unlike the ANC, we can’t afford to fill up stadiums with volunteers from across the country,” he said at the launch.
“If filling stadiums was a measure of support, then the ANC wouldn’t be worried about losing votes,but this is not an indication of support.”
As part of nursing the country back to financial health, the party intends to shrink the cabinet.
“The country spends over R2-billion on bodyguards to ministers and the blue lights, funds that could be used elsewhere. That is more than the budget for the maintenance of the National Defence Force.
“We will place all collapsing and corrupt municipalities under national government administration,” he said.”Government cannot continue to be destroyed by cadre deployment.”
The national leader said the ruling party continues to borrow funds irresponsibly and spends carelessly, while it steals whatever the cadres can get their hands on.
“Government bank accounts are close to empty while the so-called leaders are getting larger,” he said. “We are committed to fixing government finances, prosecuting corruption and spending responsibly to protect the social wage.”
Zibi said they will not be going into a coalition government with the ANC. If the people of South Africa decide to deny the party a majority, he said, why should Rise Mzansi resurrect the ANC from the dead.
Pictured above: Rise Mzansi.
Image source: Doreen Mokgolo
