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Change Ends Now – Roger Jardine’s new political party won’t contest May 29 polls

Change Ends Now – Roger Jardine’s new political party won’t contest May 29 polls
Victoria O’Regan
By Victoria O’Regan
1 Mar 2024
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The political party, launched in December 2023, is out of the 2024 election race before it’s even started. The move follows a decision by the Constitutional Court not to hear a matter on signature requirements for unrepresented parties.

Former FirstRand Group chair Roger Jardine’s political start-up Change Starts Now will not contest in the 2024 national and provincial elections, the leader announced on Thursday evening. 

The party had only 10 days prior launched its manifesto in Kliptown, Soweto, on 19 February 2024, setting out big ideas to improve society. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: Banker-turned-presidential hopeful Roger Jardine proposes R500bn wealth and pensions tax to reconstruct SA

The banker-turned-party leader, in a statement posted to X, blamed the “...recent Constitutional Court ruling and the barriers it imposes on newly established political parties”, which means Change Starts Now “like several other parties, faces a prejudicial, logistical timetable to qualify for the ballot”.

“We have therefore taken a decision that, while we believe that it is essential to give voters as much encouragement to vote by providing them with a range of options, in the interests of increasing the chances of political change, we offer support to political parties who share our values and the aspirations that we believe voters are looking for,” Jardine said.




On Monday, South Africa’s apex court declined to hear a matter relating to signature requirements for unrepresented political parties on an urgent basis. Political think tank Rivonia Circle and Mmusi Maimane’s Build One SA (Bosa) had petitioned the Constitutional Court in December 2023, to urgently finalise its decision on how many signatures new parties which are not represented in any of the legislatures needed for the elections. 

This is after the Constitutional Court struck out the Electoral Amendment Act’s provision requiring that to stand, independents needed to obtain signatures equivalent to 15% of the votes required to win a seat in the previous election in the province in which they intended to register. It ruled that independent candidates required 1,000 signatures of registered voters to register with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). 

However, the court stopped short of scrapping the 15% requirement for parties which are not represented in any of the legislatures.  

The IEC earlier on Monday had chided political parties complaining about the signature threshold and submission timeframe. It said that all independent candidates and political parties who intend to contest in the elections must submit their nomination requirements by 8 March.

‘Continue to work on’


Jardine launched Change Starts Now on 10 December last year, in Riverlea, Johannesburg. Many residents of the crime-ridden community were unconvinced of Jardine’s presidential bid, questioning the timing of the party’s launch. 

The party’s leadership comprised some familiar faces, including veteran activist and former Maverick Citizen editor Mark Heywood, former Helen Suzman Foundation director Nicole Fritz, the Progressive Health Forum’s Dr Aslam Dasoo, and former UDF leader and Thabo Mbeki speechwriter Murphy Morobe. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: Roger Jardine: ‘We have to fix the balance sheets of SA Inc,’ says Change Starts Now presidential hopeful

“Change Starts Now (CSN) was launched in December 2023, recognising a desperate national crisis. We understood then what our research has since shown us: South Africans are demanding political change, and their expectations and demands for a political alternative are not being met,” Jardine said on Thursday.

“Ours and independent research tells us that only 41% of voters want to vote for the African National Congress (ANC). However, South Africa’s dilemma is that not enough voters see current opposition parties as an acceptable alternative.”

Jardine said that in the nearly three months since Change Starts Now’s launch, it had “established a significant national following and launched our Change Charter – a manifesto for hope – widely acknowledged as a pragmatic vision for how we kickstart our economy and drive inclusive development and social solidarity”. 

He said that while the party’s research and engagements with South Africans had shown people are “abandoning the ANC, a lot of political work is needed to unite South Africans behind a shared vision for the future of our country”.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Latest poll shows ANC’s rocky road to election, with coalition potholes ahead

Jardine concluded that “CSN will continue to work on, champion and advocate for the ideas in our Change Charter”. DM

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