Lerato Mbhiza
RISE Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi said the party is focused on economic recovery, just and inclusivity which is the only way South Africa can attain real non-racialism.
Zibi was speaking at the media briefing on Wednesday at Ten Bompas Hotel in Dunkeld West, Joburg on the party’s readiness for the RISE Peoples Convention to take place on 6 to 8 October.
“We believe that economic justice is the only way we can have real non-racialism. But to deliver the life South Africans deserve, we need to fix our broken economy, such as the looming bankruptcy of the South African government.
“South Africa spends nearly R30-billion a month paying interest on debt. Transnet pays R1-billion a month on a collapsing balance sheet, all because the money was stolen,” said Zibi.
Statistics South Africa reported that the South African economy grew by 0.4 percent between January and March this year. Crippling power cuts, volatile commodity prices and a challenging external environment have contributed to the country’s weak growth performance, said the report.
Also this year the Stats SA released data showing that employment has been increasing since the fourth quarter of 2021, although job growth started to soften during the second half of 2022.
The number of employed people increased by 154 000 to 16.3 million in the second quarter of 2023, bringing this number closer to the pre-pandemic 16.4 million.
Zibi said their people’s convention is where they will decide on the nature and extent of state support for struggling families and people who can’t put food on the table.
“We will ask delegates to discuss whether the elites need to get billions of rand in Public Investment Corporation (PIC) money to get small stakes in white-owned companies and fund expensive lifestyles, or whether we invest that in 100% black and woman-owned companies with real potential’’.
Zibi said the IEC approved the RISEMzansi application to register as a political party.
“The way is now open for RISE Mzansi to contest the national elections in every province next year”.
RISE Mzansi is among a plethora of new political parties in South Africa and it was launched on 23 April 2023 at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg.
Zibi, a former associate editor of the Financial Mail and Business Day day as well as the Rivonia Circle think tank co-founder was named as party leader.
“A month after the convention, we will publish the People’s Manifesto, which will form the basis of the People’s Plan for Change that will be published in February 2024. The People’s Manifesto and the People’s Plan for Change will be the content platforms for our election campaign,” he added
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