Over the weekend, the RISE Mzansi National Leadership Collective (NLC) convened for a two-day special meeting in Johannesburg. The RISE Mzansi NLC is entrusted with the affairs of the organisation. As per the Interim Constitution, it is currently the highest decision-making body of the organisation.

The NLC met to deliberate on among other things:

• Compliance with the Electoral Commission’s (IEC) signature requirements
• Receive and deliberate on 19 National and Provincial candidate lists to be submitted to the IEC as received from the Independent Nominations Committee (NomCom)
• RISE Mzansi Premier Candidates to be announced soon
• Developments in the political environment
• Election readiness

With just 86 days until the National and Provincial Elections, it was important for RISE Mzansi to ensure full organisational readiness to mount a compelling campaign. The NLC reflected on the organisation’s growth over the last 10-months and electoral prospects.

IEC signature requirements

Despite inaccurate reports over the past week and over the weekend, RISE Mzansi has already complied with the IEC’s signature requirements.

Two weeks ago, RISE Mzansi completed the process of successfully uploading 112,018 signatures to the Electoral Commission (IEC) portal. This is more than enough signatures to ensure that we contest in all 9 Provinces as well as the National ballot.

Candidate Lists

The NLC scrutinised the 19 lists received from the Independent NomCom to be submitted to the IEC by 8 March 2024. Once more, RISE Mzansi will make its submission before then. 

The 19 lists are the 9 Regional-to-Regional; 9 Regional-to-National; and 1 National-to-National lists.

Once we have submitted our lists to the IEC and notified all candidates, we will publicly introduce the new leaders who will campaign for the organisation to represent the people of South Africa in all 9 Provincial Legislatures and Parliament.

The NLC took the time to thank the Independent NomCom and take the time fully appreciate the enormity of the work of vetting new, capable, and ethical leaders who will represent the people of South Africa in Provincial Legislatures and Parliament. 

RISE Mzansi Premier Candidates

The NLC confirmed the nominations of the Premier Candidates for the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Over the next two-weeks, we will be announcing our Premier Candidates for KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape who will spearhead our efforts to remove the ANC and DA from power, and make way for new leaders who understand the needs of communities.

Earlier in February, National Chairperson, Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, was announced as the RISE Mzansi Gauteng Premier Candidate. Our Gauteng campaign is in full swing and the response from the residents across all regions of the province has been positive.

Political Developments

The RISE Mzansi NLC noted that some new political parties are struggling to meet the IEC signature requirements to contest the elections in their entirety. While other parties will only manage to mount support to contest in some provinces.

In the instance where a party cannot contest, we are opening the door to their former members, supporters and donors who align with our vision to build a safe, prosperous, equal, and united South Africa that anchored by the social democratic values of Freedom, Equality, Integrity, Solidarity, and Justice. Moreover, where a party does not have ability to be on the ballot across all 9 provinces, we are inviting them to throw their weight behind RISE Mzansi, the only credible political alternative that places people and their dignity at the centre of its politics.

The work of undoing the industrial scale corruption, runaway economic decline, and poor and uncaring leadership of the last 15-years requires the efforts of all South Africans.

RISE Mzansi also noted the release of the publication of the 2023/24 third quarter declaration report by the IEC. 

Election readiness

The NLC received an update from the National Campaign Team on the progress we are making in achieving our targets across all 9 provincial and the national ballots. The NLC is satisfied with and impressed by the work being done by Leaders, Organisers and Volunteers who on average host 2,000 activities every week, and sign up 20,000 supporters at the same time, while taking the People’s Manifesto to villages, towns, and cities.

On Wednesday, 27 February, the National Leader, Songezo Zibi, flighted the first election posters in Soweto and Lenasia, where the election slogan, “We Need New Leaders”, was unveiled.

Issued by RISE Mzansi