New political parties must find ways to govern with the voter in mind

The most cynical among South Africans have resorted to saying, “there’s one born every minute”, this in reference to the launch of a new political party or movement every couple of months.

They all follow the same script: an exploratory phase, a consultative phase – involving all “stakeholders” – and finally the launch of a political party, sometimes just referred to as just a movement because it is not a “traditional political party”. In the end though, they are all political parties that must compete for votes.

Songezo Zibi of Rise Mzansi, Mmusi Maimane of Build One South Africa (Bosa), Herman Mashaba of ActionSA and many others have launched new political parties in the hope of dislodging the ruling party from power and start doing right by South Africans. Is it that simple though?

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Form a party, win votes, enter mainstream politics and change South Africa’s current downward and self-destruction trajectory? Can this simple process bring the true meaning of Freedom Day back, giving power back to the voter as those that crafted the constitution envisaged? The mess that is coalition politics at municipality level suggests not.

If anything, indications are that the addition of a well-meaning, intellectually sound and politically well-researched political party will, in the short-term, help maintain the status quo: the ruling party will simply pick the most willing of the smaller – and squabbling – political parties to get it over the 50% plus one threshold and thus continue ruling, while the country continues to deteriorate.

To effect real change in South Africa through the electoral process will require much more than Rise Mzansi, Bosa and ActionSA are currently doing by just hoping to win a fraction of the vote and using that to bring meaningful change to this country.

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The largest opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), have demonstrated that it is easy to become a part of the “old establishment” of SA politics, where a common hatred of the ANC has now transformed into jockeying for power, positions and control of key portfolios in coalition governments, as opposed to fulfilling the will of the voters.

The sound and intellectually engaging politics of the likes of Zibi at Rise Mzansi will not automatically translate into a big chunk of the vote at the polls, which means that their concern should be “how do we use our 10% of the vote better than those that already have it but cannot stop South Africa becoming another failed African state?”

In the 1960s, the mantra, “the revolution will not be televised”, became a call-to-arms for the civil rights movement to conscientise all those sitting back and watching television, hoping things will change while they sat on their couches.

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The brilliant, sound and politically engaging politics of the new kids on the block need a mantra that says “the televised parts of the revolution will not change South Africa”.

It is not in preaching to those already on Facebook and Twitter that will bring real change, it is those that vote for the status quo whose change of heart and mind will bring back the real power of the vote.

When Helen Zille says “we’ll never work with the EFF” and Herman Mashaba says “we will never go into a partnership with the DA or EFF”, the Rise Mzansis and Bosas need to have used their intellectual appeal and practical suggestions to transcend apartheid-defined party-political alliances.

New parties will only bring meaningful change by transcending the current “old establishment” divisions and finding ways to govern with voter in mind.