New body offers ‘neutral home’ for independents
● Independent candidates may not be so independent after all if it’s up to a new organisation that wants to hold nonaligned public office bearers accountable.
The organisation, the Independent Candidates Association (ICA), was launched this week by Michael Louis, who is known for his work with former DA leader Mmusi Maimane in the One South Africa (OSA) Movement, which also supports independent candidates. Maimane is not involved in the new organisation.
The ICA seeks to operate like a law society and will have powers to discipline rogue independent candidates across all municipalities, even if they are not its members.
It will target councillors who side with political parties to bring about results that might run counter to the wishes of the electorate.
“It’s a professional body that trains and equips independent candidates. It can also discipline independent candidates,” said Louis.
“When it comes to independent candidates, sometimes the independent candidate doesn’t act appropriately, they want power, they [compromise] coalition governments. That’s why we need to have a professional body to which they sign up.
“They pay a fee and then we can represent them, train them, equip them and institute disciplinary procedures, and we can ask them to resign.”
He said they can also represent the candidates if they are asked to resign by local councils.
Louis said the ICA has the power to even go after independents who have not signed up if members feel that that particular independent candidate is bringing the name of independent candidates into disrepute.
“We are not a political party at all,” said Louis. He said the ICA is governed as a company but is a nonprofit organisation.
Louis said he is excited about the launch of the new body because independent candidates are the future of the country and need to be professionalised.
The ICA also wants to attract independent candidates who will stand for provincial and national government after the Electoral Act is amended to allow them to stand.
Maimane has previously indicated that he would stand as an independent candidate in 2024 after the Constitutional Court ruled that parliament should amend the Electoral Act. It was given up until June this year to finalise the amendment but is likely to miss the deadline.
Louis said the ICA’s first act will be to source legal opinion on the current draft electoral bill, which is before parliament, because it believes it is going to play an important role regarding the constitutionality of the law.
The ICA will offer training programmes for independent candidates and alert them to issues they need to look into at municipal level.
Louis said the ICA will get funding from affiliate fees and donors.
Political analyst Ralph Mathekga, however, took issue with the idea of the ICA. He said the best way to contest political power is through political parties.
He labelled the ICA and OSA quasi-political parties.
“[They are] not political parties but they want to operate as one. They ... have been in parties that are dysfunctional ... One thing about South Africa’s independents is that they consistently come from political parties. They are disgruntled political party members,” said Mathekga.
They want to operate as NGOs but have all the privileges of political parties, he said, whereas SA needs strong political parties and not an alternative to political parties.
When it comes to independent candidates, sometimes the independent candidate doesn’t act appropriately, they want power, they [compromise] coalition governments