Build One South Africa political party lead by Mmusi Maimane. Picture: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
Durban — Mmusi Maimane and his deputy Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster’s poor leadership had robbed Build One South Africa (Bosa), the party they co-founded in 2022, of a chance to participate in the Government of National Unity (GNU).
This is the view of Ntokozo Biyela, a former Bosa KwaZulu-Natal leader who has resigned from the party.
Biyela was the party’s premier candidate ahead of the general elections. He resigned from all party structures earlier this month, saying that the party had a slim chance of surviving until the next local government elections in 2026.
In his resignation letter, which he sent to Maimane and Hlazo-Webster on July 5, Biyela said he had gained invaluable experience and knowledge of the political space since joining the party in May 2022.
“I however personally feel that my values and principles and Bosa's values and principles, no longer align anymore, hence my decision,” read the letter.
Hlazo-Webster justified the party’s poor showing at the polls, saying it was only 18 months old when it went into the elections.
The party received 5 019 votes in KwaZulu-Natal, and did not get any seats in the provincial legislature. It has two seats in the national assembly and one in the Gauteng legislature
But Biyela blamed the party's poor performance in the general elections on decisions that were taken without consulting lower structures: “There was no proper leadership and direction.”
Biyela said the decision to keep the party out of the government of national unity (GNU) was poor and not communicated to the branches.
He said had Bosa joined the GNU, it could have created opportunities for its members. “Maimane was to get a ministerial position and we were going to get an MEC position in Gauteng.
“This would have given us a platform to be seen and to be heard than just being part of the opposition with only two seats which does not make sense,” Biyela said.
He argued that participation in the GNU was an opportunity for Bosa to add value to the government and the country, adding that “another way to add value is to be involved in some departments.”
Biyela ventured into politics in 2022 from business soon after BOSA’s formation. He said Maimane’s voice in Bosa was not as influential as it was when he was the DA leader.
“DA is a big party with proper structures. This time around it became difficult for him as he was starting a new party from scratch with no proper structures.
“When you do that then you need to have strong leadership,” said Biyela.
He said the KwaZulu-Natal structure did not get sufficient financial support from the national office to campaign. He said the emergence of former president Jacob Zuma’s Umkhonto Wesizwe Party (MK) had also impacted Bosa.
He said the election campaign activities were only funded in Pietermaritzburg and Durban, while the campaigners in the rest of the province were left to fend for themselves.
“We did not get a seat (in KwaZulu-Natal) because there was not enough money invested. The national office decided that out of the 10 districts in the province, the party would only focus on eThekwini and Umgungundlovu.
“The votes that we got mostly came from the two districts,” Biyela said, adding that a number of other people had also resigned from the party - some even before the elections.
However, one of them, who asked that her name not be used, said it was a lie that she had left the party while another refused to comment.
Former spokesperson, Sbu Zondi, said he had resigned in September, but the leaders had convinced him to return, which he did until he left in April.
“In September, Bosa could not afford me as they did not have money to pay me. They came back with a different role for me to be a consultant with a promise that they would pay a retainer, which in April they failed to pay then I resigned again,” he said.
He said Bosa had recruited him to get Maimane back into parliament “after the DA had kicked him out”.
“My mandate was to get him and Nobuntu to parliament, which I achieved because they are both in parliament,” he said.
Zondi said it was clear that Maimane had lost the charm he had had in the DA, “I have been to North West, Limpopo and KZN rallies where people did not show up. In Rustenburg, people were bussed in and in some buses, there were no people.
“We had to make some adjustments to portray as if the venue was full. At the launch of the manifesto, which I did not attend, there were not as many people as we expected because people did not believe in it (Bosa) and they believed it was a DA-lite,” he said.
Responding to Biyela and Zondi’s allegations, Hlazo-Webster said the fact that the young party had representatives in the national assembly and in Gauteng, showed that it had performed better than some other newcomers.
“There are parties who did not achieve that. So we are going to do what the people sent us to parliament to do.
“We are going to ensure accountability, contribute to the portfolio committees, and serve South Africans,” she said.
She declined to comment on what the former party leaders alleged, including the decision to stay away from the GNU without consultation.
“Ntokozo Biyela is no longer with the party, we are not going to engage him. Some people do not agree with the direction of the party, but that is okay.
“They are most welcome to hold that opinion,” she said.
Sunday Tribune