Rise Mzansi leaders urged to take the land question to a referendum

• Rise Mzansi is holding a policy conference at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg. 
• The convention hopes to formulate policies to sell to voters ahead of the 2024 elections.
• The party has been urged to take the land question to a referendum.  

The land question, which has plagued the country's political scene for years, can only be solved through a national referendum, according to a proposal raised at Rise Mzansi's policy conference on Friday. 

Rise Mzansi, a new party launched in April, is holding a policy conference at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg until Sunday. 

A leader of the Land Party, Gcobani Ndzongana, was given a platform to speak at the gathering. He pleaded with the new party's leadership to take the land question to a referendum, so all South Africans could settle a matter that had long plagued the political landscape. 

Ndzongana made other proposals too, including the need for a national DNA database system as well as tighter borders. 

READ | 'Donors wanted us to join Multi-Party Charter. We said no': Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi

The Rise Mzansi delegates will have to decide what they do with such suggestions as the party mulls its policy proposals.

The first day of the conference saw another political party on the podium to offer political support - in the form of Brett Herron, of the GOOD party. 

Rise Mzansi's leader, Songezo Zibi, addressed the crowd, saying the time for reconciliation was over, and the only option was nation-building. 

He said the ANC had failed. 

Zibi said the country had money - and, if it prioritised healthcare, service delivery, education and many other governance essentials, the country would not be where it was. 

"We need to move from reconciliation to nation-building. We must build a culture of democratic participation and commit to ending poverty, not poverty alleviation. They tell us to be a little poor, and everything will be fine. We want a government that does not borrow money, so the elite can steal it. We need to move from reconciliation to nation-building," Zibi said.

"South Africans want a political system that grows democracy, not undermines it. They want an ethical, transparent and accountable government, so corruption does not destroy our dreams." 

He added: 

Zibi insisted that South Africa could turn into a failed state, unless tangible solutions were found.

The ANC had to go in 2024, he said.

"The years and years of corruption, of buying a roll of toilet paper for R100, or a laptop for R1 million, have brought the economy to its knees. That stolen money could have built roads and bridges, installed high-speed internet in communities, hired more police and paid them more.

"It could have brought better equipment for our army, hired younger soldiers and paid them fair salaries, so they can protect our borders," Zibi said.