KZN has emerged as the most contested province as political parties prepare for the 2024 general elections.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), African National Congress (ANC), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the newly formed uMkhonto Wesizwe political party are among the other parties that have made their presence felt in the province.
On Monday, 29 January, Rise Mzansi also visited the province to present its People’s Manifesto.
Party leader Songezo Zibi and KZN provincial convenor Nonkululeko Hlongwane-Mhlongo briefed the media in Durban on the organisation’s ongoing political programme to establish the party in communities across the province.
Zibi said the battle for the hearts and minds of South Africans is in full swing and he can proudly say that Rise Mzansi has so far engaged in the political battlefield with integrity and will continue to do so.
He said KZN needs the right leaders to realise the people’s manifesto.
"We are confident that the people of KZN are ready for a new kind of politics. We will therefore seek to maximise our potential in the province where we will be running premier candidate campaign, details of which we will announce in the coming weeks," he said.
He said this was not their first visit to the province, as they came during their consultations early in 2023.
Zibi said that during their small public consultation meetings, they heard from young men who are desperate to stop using drugs but have no access to rehabilitation facilities.
"We heard from mothers who want to work but cannot afford to send their child to an early childhood development (ECD) centre or tragically don't have one in their community. We have heard from small business owners who are on the verge of closing their doors because the cost of crime to their businesses is just too high.
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"Able but unemployed young people spoke about the financial burden that comes with finding a job and the daily humiliation of hunger. These voices and the solutions that go with them are fully expressed in the People’s Manifesto," he said.
On the People’s Manifesto, Zibi said they don't call it the People’s Manifesto because it is catchy, but because the process of putting together their blueprint for a secure, prosperous, equal and united South Africa was not left to policy makers alone but involved the input of the people.
He said none of those who make up the failed political establishment can claim to have done this.
"They will merely surprise the voters with what they think is best for them. This is not governing for and by the people," he said.
He said that building the South Africa they all deserve will be difficult, but it is possible, and his party is determined to do it for and with the people.
