Benny Mayengani wants to become SA president
Former EFF ward councillor and popular Xitsonga musician, Benny Mayengani, is hoping to convince South Africans to vote for his newly formed party, Action Alliance Development Party.
He is aiming for a seat in parliament to become the president of the country. Mayengani is a dominant force in Xitsonga music and is known for his collaborations with producers such as Jambatani, Prince Ranghani, Joe Shirimani, and Limpopo Poison. He released his debut album, Tiba Ben, in 2011 which gained him fame and recognition among fans of Xitsonga music. He also scored three nominations for Best Xitsonga Male Artist, Best Xitsonga Popular Song of the Year, and Best Xitsonga Album of the Year during the Xitsonga Music Awards in 2013.
His 10th album, Ni Happy, released in 2019, was nominated at the Limpopo Music Awards for Best Male Artist. During 2022, his popularity grew with hit songs such as Jeso, Vamatiko, N’wa Swigalani, and others. Apart from his music career, he became the first Tsonga musician to be a councillor in the City of Johannesburg representing the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in 2016. However, he resigned in 2019 to focus on his music and further his education. His new party will be launched on August 5 at Xilumani Hotel. He says his party will focus on the protection of religious interests.
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“We want traditional healers recognised in our hospitals so that citizens can choose where they want to seek treatment,” he said. He says during the Covid-19 pandemic government closed churches but let taverns and bottle stores operate for drunkards to be able to quench their thirst. “We want to do away with all of that by introducing a minister of religion,” he said.
Mayengani said he intends to contest the 2024 elections in four provinces: Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North-West. “We also aim to contest SRC elections at most institutions of higher learning like Univen, Turfloop, VUT, and TUT,” he said. Asked how his party would afford the registration fees for the election, he boldly said, “I’m an artist … I will pay for it.”
He added that his party was targeting unregistered voters which are estimated to be about 16 million, most of which are young people. Although he did not elaborate on the party’s principles, Mayengani indicated that they would focus more on what concerns the community. “Our party will be more about service delivery and job creation. We are against illegal foreigners, and the plan, if we take power, is to ensure that 95% South Africans are prioritised for jobs, only 5% foreigners with scarce skills will be considered for employment,” he said.
