Maimane says he won’t quit politics and SA needs a ‘new vehicle’

Former Democratic Alliance (DA) Mmusi Maimane was upfront in an interview on eNCA that he would not be quitting politics.

Asked directly by interviewer Samkele Maseko if he would remain a politician, he said: “Yes, I love this country.”

He added he would continue to fight for a “vision of a non-racial South Africa”, which he said was something he would give his life to.

He constantly spoke of a “new vehicle” in the interview that he felt was needed to take South Africa forward but was vague on what this would mean.

While he said he would stay in politics, he also said that he was not sure a new political party was needed.

“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 said.

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”.

READ MORE: Maimane caused a ‘slide away’ from the DA’s ‘core values’ – Steenhuisen

He said this movement should be “not only political” but should also involve civil society and non-government organisations (NGOs).

“When we understand what a new vehicle looks like, it ought to get back to citizens,” he said at one point, adding that it should be accountable to the people.

The Mail & Guardian, meanwhile, reports that in an interview with the Brenthurst Foundation in Kenya, Maimane hinted at starting SA political equivalent of ride-sharing app Uber.

“The political system is broken, and it needs its Uber, it needs its disruption,” he said.

Maimane was reportedly among guests flown to Mombasa as part of a conference on the future of African cities. While he was there, he took a trip on a private plane belonging to the Oppenheimer family, and was seen speaking at length to Jonathan Oppenheimer, the head of Oppenheimer Generations, the publication reports.

Requests from Maimane clarification on what his next move would be had not been responded to at the time of publication.

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman)

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