LISTEN | Rise Mzansi to contest elections with Move SA

Rise Mzansi has joined forces with Move SA, a youth-led and focused party, to consolidate efforts in the 2024 national and provincial elections.

The pair have signed a memorandum of understanding which provides for campaigning by Move SA leader David Kabwa under the Rise Mzansi banner, retaining individuality and jointly engaging in fundraising activities for the campaign.

Despite Move SA being a registered political party, its agreement with Rise Mzansi does not allow it to contest the elections independently or align with any other party.

Rise Mzansi chairperson Vuyiswa Ramokgopa said Kabwa will participate in the public candidates nomination campaign to the exclusion of Move SA.

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Kabwa is a former independent candidate who won the SRC presidential elections at the University of Pretoria twice. He is a 26-year-old PhD candidate in international relations. His party's support base exceeds 20,000 registered members.

Ramokgopa said he has been serving and representing the voice of young people with dignity and courage.

“The opportunity to bring about meaningful and lasting change is in the hands of the voters, not politicians. The more of us who are registered to vote, the bigger the impact we can make by voting out the political establishment and electing new capable leaders with integrity who can provide new answers to problems we face as a country,” she said.

Through this partnership, Ramokgopa said her party will reach and activate the millions of despondent youth, who feel alienated by the political establishment, and the politically homeless, at a time when politicians cling greedily to power at the expense of the future of the country, instead of retiring gracefully.

“The Electoral Commission [of South Africa] recently announced most of the 1-million people who have used their online portal to register to vote are aged between 20 and 25. Of the 26.2-million registered voters, 3.9-million are between 20 and 29 years old.

“The idea that young people are politically inactive is untrue. For example, most of our volunteers and supporters are youth, and one only needs to walk onto a university or TVET campus to know young people are politically active, but they feel the existing parties to do not represent them.”

Ramokgopa said young people have a home in Rise Mzansi and will not be confined to the periphery.

“Rise Mzansi is ready to provide South Africans with a credible political alternative that will lead the next generation of growth and transformation of society and our country.

“Part of our growth and a key tenet of our strategy is to work with other political parties and civil society organisations who share our values and vision for South Africa.”

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