Mmusi Maimane stresses the need for visionary plans to make coalitions work

“I just think we have a dearth of leadership and I’m afraid the citizens are the ones who suffer the most,” said Build One South Africa founder Mmusi Maimane during an interview with Daily Maverick on Monday. 

Maimane gave the interview after addressing the Cape Town Press Club, where he unpacked the vision his political movement has for South Africa after the 2024 national and provincial elections. 

About the ongoing mayoral issues within the City of Johannesburg — with the mayor being from a party that has three council seats — Maimane said: “We need better leaders, at this point in time. It feels like there’s mudslinging on both ends and I wish somebody would call everyone into one room and say no one is winning, whether it’s the DA or ActionSA, whether it’s the ANC — no one is winning. 

“We’ve got to come back together and say, how do we put people in a room and give a vision of what this country can be?”  

He said things went wrong because there was a “leadership deficit” in the coalition in Johannesburg. “Everyone is going into a coalition to campaign for 2024, rather than to govern for the people.” 

Maimane said it was important to be clear about plans to get coalitions working in large municipalities.  

“If you’ve got a plan that you table before an election you can be clear afterwards: Okay, post that, who is responsible for what and how do we deliver against that?” 

Maimane said that in Johannesburg anyone could talk about potholes or energy, but: “Just get a proper plan, align it on values and hold people accountable to that plan.” 

At the State of the City Address “You should be able to tell us, last year you said you’d build 100 houses, this year we’ve built 50. Why? Then, when you have a motion of no confidence, I can respect that because you say this guy has failed our plan, not this guy’s in a wrong political party so he must be removed — it’s nonsense.” 

The former DA mayor of Johannesburg, Dr Mpho Phalatse, has announced her intention to run for DA party leader against the incumbent, John Steenhuisen.  

“I wish her well,” said Maimane. “It’s a hard job, it’s a hard organisation to lead in some instances. She has to make sure she fights off a few who believe the DA is rightfully theirs, the cabal that wants to control it — and if she can get through it and give her vision, I think she will do well.”  

Maimane’s speech at the Press Club