Talk to Al Jazeera - Mmusi Maimane: 'Fighting a system, not a race'
He rose quickly from political obscurity, emerging first as a mayoral candidate in Johannesburg and soon after becoming leader of South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), in 2015.
Mmusi Maimane thinks he has got the answers to South Africa's problems. At a time of economic and political turmoil, the ruling African National Congress (ANC), he says, is focused less on the needs of the people, and more on the enrichment of its ruling elite.
When he called for a vote in parliament recently to impeach President Jacob Zuma for breaching the constitution, Maimane struck a heavy blow in an opposition campaign to overtake the party that he accuses of betraying the ideals of Nelson Mandela.
But the vote failed and the ANC is fighting back, using the rhetoric of race to discredit Maimane. They call him a sellout, a puppet of the rich, the black face of a white party.
"The true test was whether or not the ANC would defend the constitution or defend Jacob Zuma. I found that as the leader of the opposition it was important to put that test before them. When they took the test and made the decision to defend Jacob Zuma it made us realise, and it made South Africans realise, that project Zuma is not an anomaly to the ANC, it is the ANC itself," says Maimane.
The politician believes that "one of the things the ANC has departed from is the basic freedom that is the freedom of association. They fail to recognise the fact that it is possible that black South Africans can join any party that they so choose, they have departed from that. The second thing the ANC has departed from is what I believe the generation on 1956 that was led by President Nelson Mandela that said that they were fighting a system not a race. And if you are fighting a system you recognise the fact that black and white can join together to fight a system that oppresses black people even though the same white people were benefitting they can join arms with black people and fight against it.... I am not building a party that is black. I am building a party for all South Africans regardless of race who recognise the fact that their fundamental job is to fight for the marginalised who in this instance are black."
Maimane points to his party's successful record in governing the western Cape province, with Cape Town, the jewel, at its heart. With local elections due next year, he believes the Democratic Alliance will make its mark in the country's other big cities as well.
But in the townships outside Cape Town the poor are getting poorer, much as they are everywhere else in South Africa. What does Mmusi Maimane have to offer them? Talk to Al Jazeera spoke to him in Cape Town about the ANC, the DA, Jacob Zuma, and his vision for the country.
More from Talk To Al Jazeera on:
YouTube - http://aje.io/ttajYT
Facebook - http://facebook.com/talktoaj
Twitter - http://twitter.com/talktoaljazeera
Website - http://www.aljazeera.com/talktojazeera/
Видео Talk to Al Jazeera - Mmusi Maimane: 'Fighting a system, not a race' канала Al Jazeera English
Mmusi Maimane thinks he has got the answers to South Africa's problems. At a time of economic and political turmoil, the ruling African National Congress (ANC), he says, is focused less on the needs of the people, and more on the enrichment of its ruling elite.
When he called for a vote in parliament recently to impeach President Jacob Zuma for breaching the constitution, Maimane struck a heavy blow in an opposition campaign to overtake the party that he accuses of betraying the ideals of Nelson Mandela.
But the vote failed and the ANC is fighting back, using the rhetoric of race to discredit Maimane. They call him a sellout, a puppet of the rich, the black face of a white party.
"The true test was whether or not the ANC would defend the constitution or defend Jacob Zuma. I found that as the leader of the opposition it was important to put that test before them. When they took the test and made the decision to defend Jacob Zuma it made us realise, and it made South Africans realise, that project Zuma is not an anomaly to the ANC, it is the ANC itself," says Maimane.
The politician believes that "one of the things the ANC has departed from is the basic freedom that is the freedom of association. They fail to recognise the fact that it is possible that black South Africans can join any party that they so choose, they have departed from that. The second thing the ANC has departed from is what I believe the generation on 1956 that was led by President Nelson Mandela that said that they were fighting a system not a race. And if you are fighting a system you recognise the fact that black and white can join together to fight a system that oppresses black people even though the same white people were benefitting they can join arms with black people and fight against it.... I am not building a party that is black. I am building a party for all South Africans regardless of race who recognise the fact that their fundamental job is to fight for the marginalised who in this instance are black."
Maimane points to his party's successful record in governing the western Cape province, with Cape Town, the jewel, at its heart. With local elections due next year, he believes the Democratic Alliance will make its mark in the country's other big cities as well.
But in the townships outside Cape Town the poor are getting poorer, much as they are everywhere else in South Africa. What does Mmusi Maimane have to offer them? Talk to Al Jazeera spoke to him in Cape Town about the ANC, the DA, Jacob Zuma, and his vision for the country.
More from Talk To Al Jazeera on:
YouTube - http://aje.io/ttajYT
Facebook - http://facebook.com/talktoaj
Twitter - http://twitter.com/talktoaljazeera
Website - http://www.aljazeera.com/talktojazeera/
Видео Talk to Al Jazeera - Mmusi Maimane: 'Fighting a system, not a race' канала Al Jazeera English
Показать
Комментарии отсутствуют
Информация о видео
Другие видео канала
Julius Malema: Ready to remove Zuma government by force | Talk to Al JazeeraThe potential that is Africa | Mmusi Maimane | TEDxUFSAkon: 'America was never built for black people' | Talk to Al JazeeraAnalysing MmusI Maimane's resignationHow Africa Is Leading the World in Corona Response | The Daily Social Distancing ShowWatch live from South Africa as Barack Obama makes a high-profile speech honouring Nelson Mandela🇿🇦 What's next for South Africa's ANC party? | Inside StoryMmusi Maimane on the Eusebius Mckaiser showFULL INTERVIEW: EWN sits down with Mmusi MaimaneMmusi MaimaneInside Story - Should Jacob Zuma step down?Talk to Al Jazeera - Binyavanga Wainaina: Rewriting AfricaMaimane talking a new movementMmusi Maimane's full speechMmusi Maimane resigns as DA leader🇿🇦 Will South Africa's president resign? | Inside StoryGet to know DA Leader, Mmusi MaimaneJacob Zuma vs Mmusi MaimaneMaimane responds to Zille's announcement of her candidacy for DA Federal chairperson postJacob Zuma answers questions in Parliament