Mashaba might be surprised with the outcome of his new party – analyst

Businessman and former Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba might be surprised with the outcome of his new political party as people on the ground seemed to be keen on giving him support, says an analyst.

Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng North leader and former Tshwane mayor Abel Tau is the latest leader to join Mashaba’s new party, The People’s Dialogue, after resigning from the opposition benches with immediate effect. He said he could not sit back and watch Tshwane plunge into chaos, which the DA was partially responsible for.

“I feel now is the correct time. We cannot continue. Tshwane is continuing to plunge into chaos. This time last year there was a strike in Tshwane that I resolved – the very same strike which led to the dispensation we are facing today. I can’t live with myself when a year later things are worse, and the DA was complicit in this mess.

“I feel it is time stand up for what I joined politics for,” he said.

Also read: Mashaba announces date of new party’s launch, Vytjie Mentor joins

Former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor was announced as a new member last week. There is also speculation that former ANC MP Makhosi Khoza will join Mashaba’s party amid her search for a new political home.

Political analyst Lesiba Teffo said this was because the political landscape called for a re-alignment. He added that at this time anyone who stepped into the political space with an understanding of the challenges facing the country and the mood on the ground had a strong chance of being heard.

“Be it Mashaba or anyone who sees the opportunity. If it is Mashaba, he has built up some credibility as a mayor and leader. I am picking up on the ground that people are keen on giving him a chance. But he might surprise himself with the outcome of the results.

“On the ground, there is some saturation, conviction and a universal agreement that things can no longer continue in this fashion. There is acceptance that it can no longer be the ANC that takes us forward.”

DA Gauteng leader John Moodey said Tau’s decision to leave the party was “very misguided”, despite accepting his resignation.

Also read: DA Tshwane chair Abel Tau joins Mashaba’s People’s Dialogue

“The DA respects his rights to make this decision although we believe it is very misguided to say the least. “We wish him well in his future endeavours,” he said.

But Teffo said the DA was “gone forever” as their concerns seemed to be weighing more towards economic power than political power. The party did not seem to want to remove the ANC from power as the corruption of party members indirectly benefited the DA and its funders.

“The looters are just the conduits that take from the poor… The principal beneficiaries of the corrupt system are in the main, the big corporate people. The [DA] are not interested in political power but good governance so they can continue to benefit directly,” said Teffo.

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