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- UDM leader Bantu Holomisa believes opposition parties can remove the ANC from power.
- This can be done without parties losing their individual identities while still working together, he believes.
- According to Holomisa, a solid political vehicle and a common message is needed for political change.
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa says any one political party that thinks it can bring about political change on its own is living in a fool’s paradise.
Holomisa was speaking at the UDM's national general council at the Gallager Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg, on Friday.
"The country can no longer put their trust in the so-called self-correcting nature of the ruling party. For instance, their foreign and economic policies are contradicting and causes confusion. There is no discipline and coherence," he said.
"In particular where the soaring crime rates are concerned, and the instability that it causes, the law enforcement and security experts in the UDM should gather to draft a paper on these issues and their solutions. Any one political party that thinks it is going to make a difference on its own is living in a fool’s paradise."
It is said that millions of voters stayed at home during the 2022 local government elections, because they were fed up with the party they traditionally voted for, and none of the other selection of parties on the political menu were to their tastes.
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Holomisa said, given the political frustrations in the country, there was a proliferation of political parties.
He said:
"This process will move toward the crystallisation of two major political streams, which express the ethos of the beneficiaries of the established order, on the one hand, and the aspirations of the emerging major social groupings that are marginalised at present on the other hand."
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Indications were that the ANC was already catering for the elite and pursuing economic policies that benefitted a few, Holomisa said.
"The truth of the matter is the ruling tripartite alliance has failed South Africans. The thinking out there is that there is a need for a new alliance. This picture is not likely to change for the 2024 national and provincial elections.
"So, is South Africa forever doomed to suffer the muddled and directionless politics of today, where the electorate feels uninspired to fulfil their constitutional duty to vote."
Holomisa added that a multi-party democracy was the country’s only defence against one-party dominance and dictatorship.
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"Political parties might struggle to find each other, considering that they have different ideologies and political philosophies. The advantage is that precedents have been created in different places in the world where political parties with different interests work together without losing their identities," he said.
While it may be possible to rally behind these "unifying issues", Holomisa said a workable model, common language, and a common message needed to be found.
He said:
Despite Holomisa's coalition talks, the UDM has dug in its heels and refused to enter into any coalition agreements with the DA ahead of the 2024 national elections.
This comes after DA leader John Steenhuisen announced a "moonshot pact" to bring together all opposition parties.
