RISE Mzansi's Songezo Zibi takes swipe at ANC and urges SA to look through political gimmicks
Songezo Zibi delivered his party’s first-ever manifesto on Saturday, as the new player in the political landscape attempts to woo voters ahead of the fast-approaching general elections.
RISE Mzansi’s national leader, Songezo Zibi at his party's manifesto launch on 20 January 2024. Picture:X/Rise_Mzansi
JOHANNESBURG - Rise Mzansi’s national leader Songezo Zibi took multiple swipes at current and former African National Congress (ANC) leaders as he urged South Africans to look through the political gimmicks.
While Zibi only called President Cyril Ramaphosa by name, his disdain for former president Jacob Zuma and former ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule is clear.
Zibi delivered his party’s first-ever manifesto on Saturday , as the new player in the political landscape attempts to woo voters ahead of the fast-approaching general elections
For Zibi, South Africa’s future is under threat.
He told party supporters that the seeds of this crisis were planted back in 2005 by politicians who did not want to be held accountable.
“They destroyed the Scorpions so they could not be investigated, they destroyed the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] so they could not be prosecuted, they destroyed SARS [South African Revenue Services] so they could get away without paying tax.”
He lambasted Ramaphosa for his recent comments that only the ANC can provide social grants to the impoverished, but levelled even harsher criticism against him for his political decisions.
This included staying on serving as Jacob Zuma’s deputy while state institutions were hollowed out.
Zibi said his party - barely a year old will only appoint the best-qualified people to serve in government
“It is not a government of the cadres, by the cadres for the cadres.”
On the country's immigration laws, Rise Mzansi said it wants checks and balances in place to strengthen the country’s immigration laws, along with securing the country’s porous borders.
Should the political party be elected to power in the fast-approaching general elections, it wants a fresh database of everyone within South Africa’s borders.
Zibi said this is the party’s simple solution of verifying the eligibility of the country’s citizens in a bid to address challenges posed by undocumented citizens.
Immigration, crime, the economy, and joblessness will be crucial in the upcoming elections.
Parties like ActionSA and the Patriotic Alliance have built their campaigns around calling for the complete removal of undocumented migrants.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is in support of a borderless South Africa.
Zibi said when it comes to the movement of people in and out of the country, the rot runs deep.
“Unlawful immigrants are able to get in because South Africans, our brothers and sisters at Home Affairs and the police take bribes and give them fake papers, fake marriage certificates, and other forms of corruption.”
With the right dose of required political will, he said his party can address the issue speedily.
“We must secure the borders, to make sure that you do not have people getting in and out as they choose, secondly, you must register everyone in the country, within six months and determine whether they qualify to be here or not.”
Zibi said South Africa needs to be able to account for who is within its borders.