Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi on the campaigning trail. File picture: Armand Hough, Independent Newspapers
THE LEADER of Rise Mzansi, Songezo Zibi, has announced that his political party has joined the government of national unity being formulated by the African National Congress (ANC) after the recent elections.
In the May 29 elections, the ANC received its worst election result since apartheid ended 30 years ago in South Africa. The ANC garnered 40% of the vote, losing its absolute majority in Parliament.
On Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa officially began his second term after his party formulated a government of national unity (GNU) incorporating its decades-old rival, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and other parties, including the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA).
On Saturday, Zibi said his party had signed the GNU statement of intent.
“Since 9 June 2024, Rise Mzansi has been consulting various political parties and stakeholders to inform our decisions on how best to participate in shaping South Africa’s future in a changed political environment,” Zibi said.
“In essence, these discussions have involved whether or not to participate in the proposed government of national unity and national dialogue, and the implications of either choice.
“Yesterday (Friday), the Rise Mzansi national leadership collective met to discuss a final approach to the government of national unity. The sitting of the national leadership collective followed our initial approach, which was to ensure that the first sitting of the National Assembly elected a speaker, deputy speaker and president to ensure constitutional, democratic and social stability,” Zibi added.
“In yesterday’s meeting, the national leadership collective decided that Rise Mzansi should form part of the GNU and national dialogue to ensure that the aspirations and hopes of the people who elected us to serve are heard. Through the election campaign we were clear and consistent in saying that in our constitutional architecture, the work of Parliament and provincial legislatures is as important as the government executive. South Africans deserve legislation of a high quality.”
Earlier this month, it was reported that Zibi’s Rise Mzansi survived the controversy regarding the party’s funders – the Oppenheimers – and garnered two seats in the National Assembly and one seat in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.