Mashaba’s new political formation taking shape

Former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba positive about his political future, as he hopes to attract several political heavyweights to his newly established People’s Dialogue.

Mashaba said this after netting a political big fish in the former of Democratic Alliance  City of Johannesburg caucus leader, Funzela Ngobeni as well as former DA CEO Paul Boughey.

Ngobeni’s move to join Mashaba is a huge gain and a morale booster for the businessman-turned-politician.  He followed Boughey, who also resigned, in order to support Mashaba’s efforts.

Ngobeni was MMC for Finance under Mashaba before the former mayor resigned from the DA to pursue a separate political career. Ironically Ngobeni was earmarked by the DA to replace Mashaba as mayor after Mashaba stepped down late last year, but he lost to the ANC’s Geoff Makhubo.

Last week Ngobeni chaired a DA media briefing in which he criticised the ANC for messing up Johannesburg’s finances and wanting to reverse the gains achieved by the DA, including firing senior officials hired by the former DA-led coalition administration. Nobody could have taught that in less than a week, he would leave the party to join his erstwhile boss in his new political initiative.

Ngobeni’s reason for leaving the DA was very similar to that stated by former DA leader, Mmusi Maimane. He believed that the DA was not going anywhere and had no future as a white dominated party.

According to Ngobeni, the DA was not interested in unseating the ANC from power. He believes the country has not future while the ANC remains in charge, due to its corruption. He said he joined Mashaba to pursue an effective tomorrow and to build a new political alternative.

Also, like Mashaba, he claims to want to  put the people of South Africa at the centre of that alternative’s efforts.

Mashaba said Ngobeni and Boughey came at the prefect time and Ngobeni would at the centre of organising his envisioned new political party, while Boughey would deal with the administrative side.

He said: “Both individuals are deeply committed to the project of building a new political alternative that places the people of South Africa at the centre of its work.”

An optimistic Mashaba said more politicians will come to join his party and dismissed any suggestions that only disgruntled former DA members would fill its ranks.  Instead he expect to attract members from across the political spectrum through the policies that his party espoused.

“Watch this space. You will see within the next days, weeks and months there will be more and more South Africans from all political formations and civil society joining this movement.

“The days of serving political parties are over. We want public servants who are going to be there to serve the public,” he said.

Mashaba advocated for public representatives such as MPs, members of the legislatures, councillors, mayors and even the Cabinet and the President to be elected directly by the people instead of being imposed by a political party.

He said the  time for political party telling people what to or who to elect was over.

ericn@citizen.co.za

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