Chance of Khoza comeback?

FORMER ANC MP Makhosi Khoza is plotting a comeback to parliamentary politics – with a brand new party. But can she succeed where Bantu Holomisa, Terror Lekota and others have failed? The odds are stacked against her. New political parties have done little to promote change – even though South Africans across the political spectrum have been crying out for something different.

We are a country in crisis. Corruption is endemic.

The gap between the mainly white rich and overwhelmingly black poor is the widest in the world. Violent crime is out of control. Economic growth is minimal. And unemployment is heading towards 28%.

The country Mandela envisaged is a distant dream. Far too many politicians in the ruling ANC have been showing far too little ability, or courage, to fight to improve the lives of those they claim to represent – the poorest of the poor.

The challenges faced by South Africa ought to represent opportunities for other political parties to win over disgruntled ANC voters. But with two – qualified – exceptions, this has not been the case.

Although it is the biggest opposition party, the DA still trails far behind the ruling party, with 22.2% of the votes in the 2014 elections to the ANC’s 62.1%. The EFF trailed far behind the DA, with just 6.4%.

The DA and EFF, however, were able to form coalitions in Gauteng that saw them wrest control of Tshwane and Johannesburg metros from the ANC in local government elections last year.

A coalition with Lekota’s Cope, Holomisa’s UDM and the ACDP saw the DA take control of Nelson Mandela Bay metro in the Eastern Cape.

Coalitions, principally with the DA, seems to be the only hope for Khoza’s still unnamed party to make any sort of impact. She will need to be mindful, though, of how difficult it is to form a political party from so-called “coalitions of the wounded”, in this instance, from three different parties – the ANC, the DA and the EFF.

Attempts by others – notably Lekota – led to fighting and splits.