JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — Ahead of the November 4 local government elections, Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Dr Mmusi Maimane has announced the party’s strategic expansion into 24 municipalities across five provinces, framing the upcoming ballot as a decisive midterm referendum on the future of municipal governance.
With roughly 70 days remaining until voters head to the polls, Dr Maimane briefed the media on the party’s final preparations. He characterized the election as a critical turning point and a definitive “D-day for this administration,” emphasizing that the results will dictate whether local government is held accountable and professionally managed moving forward.
“As Build One South Africa, we are building that alternative,” Dr Maimane stated. “We are that alternative that will bring the fourth leg to local government in order to hold it steadily.”
This upcoming vote marks BOSA’s inaugural entry into local government contests. Since its formation in late September 2022, the party has rapidly scaled its operations. After successfully securing two parliamentary seats during the 2024 general elections, BOSA is now directing its focus toward the grassroots level, with campaigns set to run across the Western Cape, Limpopo, North West, and the Free State.
During the briefing, Dr Maimane directly addressed and dismissed criticisms regarding the party’s size. He drew a sharp distinction between being small and being new. “People say, ‘Hey, BOSA, you are small.’ I say, ‘No, we are new,'” he explained. “There is a difference. New means you are the future. You are the new alternative. That is why you can contest in 24 local municipalities across five provinces.”
A central pillar of BOSA’s campaign is a fundamental departure from traditional political patronage. Dr Maimane stressed that municipalities must be run professionally, not politically. To ensure this, the party is implementing a community-driven candidate selection process. Rather than granting nominations based on internal tenure or “comradeship,” BOSA is asking residents to actively nominate credible, competent professionals from within their own communities to serve as candidates.
“We say to the community: nominate the best, give us credible, give us competence so that we can work with them so that they can end up in the municipality,” Dr Maimane noted, highlighting the party’s commitment to putting people first.
Build One South Africa is scheduled to officially unveil its comprehensive election manifesto next week Thursday. In the immediate term, the political landscape is approaching a hard deadline, with all parties required to finalize and submit their candidate lists to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) by Friday, the 28th of August.
