Build One SA leader Mmusi Maimane. Picture: Itumeleng English, Independent Newspapers
BUILD One SA (Bosa) leader Mmusi Maimane has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to establish a national convention to decide the future of South Africa.
This comes as negotiations between political parties under the government of national unity (GNU) appear to be failing to agree on how to constitute a collective government.
On Monday, the DA was accused of making outlandish demands after a leaked letter to ANC sSecretary-general Fikile Mbalula revealed that the DA had demanded no less than 11 ministerial positions, including administrative positions.
The ANC has accused the DA and other parties of negotiating in bad faith.
In the recent elections, Bosa received more than 194,000 votes, resulting in the party securing two seats in the National Assembly and one seat in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature
In a statement, Bosa spokesperson Roger Solomons said that Maimane had written to Ramaphosa, urging him to consider establishing a national convention comprising all the parties to be represented in the seventh administration.
“Bosa has on Monday written to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting that he urgently establishes a national convention comprised of all 18 Parliamentary parties with a mandate to decide on the purpose, agenda and scope of a new GNU. Today, 60 million South Africans sit anxiously waiting for negotiations between parties as they continue under a veil of secrecy.
“There is now a clear deadlock between the DA and the ANC over government positions, patronage and access to state resources. South Africa deserves better.”
Solomons said Bosa believed that a national convention was the only way out of the situation where optical parties were making ridiculous demands on the GNU, adding that the country could continue to be left hanging.
“A national convention offers the most democratic and transparent pathway to agreeing on the composition of a new government that is value- and delivery-based. It cannot be a patronage and power-grab government where the focus is on handing out positions to parties in exchange for co-operation.
“Instead, positions in government can only be assigned after a decision is made on the direction of government,” he said.