Rise Mzansi national chair Vuyiswa Ramokgopa outlines new party’s plans
Rise Mzansi national chair and Gauteng premier candidate Vuyiswa Ramokgopa says the political start-up will target the creation of 1-million jobs by making SA’s economic powerhouse an investment-friendly destination.
Ramokgopa was speaking at a party event in the Johannesburg CBD on Monday when she outlined the party’s “Gauteng plan” to turn around the province, which contributes about 40% to national GDP, but is besieged by high unemployment, poor service delivery, water and energy shortages, violent crime and crumbling infrastructure. She said the province was collapsing due to years of neglect because of poor leadership.
Gauteng is set to be a battleground province in the 2024 national and provincial elections on May 29 as opposition parties seek to wrestle power away from the governing ANC.
Ramokgopa, a businesswoman and former CEO of the SA Institute of Black Property Practitioners, is expected to slug it out with ANC Gauteng chair and premier Panyaza Lesufi, DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga and EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, ActionSA Gauteng chair Funzi Ngobeni and UDM Gauteng premier candidate Mthunzi Mdwaba to become Gauteng’s number one citizen.
The ANC has acknowledged it is in danger of losing control of the province as it struggles to deal with unemployment and deteriorating basic services such as access to housing, clinics, schools, water and electricity.
The ANC lost control of the Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane metros in Gauteng to DA-led coalitions in the 2021 municipal elections, where its national electoral support fell below the 50% mark for the first time since 1994. The governing party’s support in the province had been on the decline before that too; in the 2019 provincial election it received 2.1-million votes, or 50.1%, down from the 53.5% it mustered in 2014.
Ramokgopa said the party would turn around the province by, among other things, creating 600,000 new permanent jobs in five years by making Gauteng an “attractive investment destination, prioritising manufacturing and industrial development”.
It planned to support the growth of small, medium and macro enterprises that would drive industrial development and launch special economic zones; promote localisation; facilitate low-cost capital to small and medium-sized enterprises through corporate enterprise development contributions; and invest in infrastructure development.
An urgent priority would be to implement good governance to clean up the “mess” created by the “current failed leadership”. The ANC government had run out of ideas, was out of touch with people’s lived experiences, and “only new leaders will take Gauteng forward”, she said.
The Gauteng plan was aimed at rooting out corruption in the public sector; cleaning the streets; connecting residents to work opportunities; prioritising safety and security; working with business and local government to restore service delivery; and bridging the wealth and income inequality.
“With this plan Gauteng will rise from the ashes of neglect and poor leadership,” Ramokgopa said.
Rise Mzansi national leader Songezo Zibi said change was coming to Gauteng. “Today is the beginning of a beautiful journey ... of hope, commitment and patriotism.” The province was no longer a place of gold but of despair. The socioeconomic crises buffeting Gauteng called for new leaders, said Zibi, a former editor of Business Day.
Despite SA marking its 30 years of democracy this year, the country was regressing and Zibi said “we want to move forward together”. The elections would herald the beginning of hope and optimism.