The uMkhonto we Sizwe Party (MK) said it plans to secure a two-thirds majority in the North West legislature after they signed over 800,000 members in that province.
The party’s election coordinator Tebogo
On Saturday, May 25, the party held its final push campaign in Mahikeng. They told residents that if elected, they would completely change the face of the province.
Ramashilabele said the reception went well. “Everybody has been waiting for MK, it’s more of a relief to most of the people, knowing that they have an alternative. People are very tired with other political parties. They have been promising them something that does not exist,” he said.
Well received in Mahikeng
The members distributed fliers to motorists and signed up interested residents. Mashilabele said the MK party does not promise heaven and earth. But rather promises to restore the people’s dignity.
Ramashilabele said the reception was well. “We are not saying we are going to give people millions of Rands. But we are going to reclaim the dignity of the people. That is what the MK is all about. A lot of people have supported us, they have signed forms to join the MK,” he said.
He said the ruling party, the ANC, had not done enough to promote human dignity. “If we talk about unemployment, who are we talking about, it’s a black person. You talk RDP houses, it’s for the black person. Now we are coming up with the strategy to ensure that the dignity of a black person is taken care of,” said Mashilabele.
He said the MK party will create factories using the R350 grants that the government is providing to the unemployed.
“If we multiply the R350 by 12, and multiply it by its 2.7 million recipients, we can go into billions. Why can’t we build factories and firms that employ people permanently rather than keep them in slavery?” he asked.
Reclaim people’s dignity
He said people should be allowed to be independent and not rely on the government. “We will reclaim the people’s dignity by doing what is right. That is what the MK stands for,” he explained.
Former President Jacob Zuma endorsed the party in December. Ramashilabele added that the party isn’t concerned about the number of members. This because the MK attracts people without canvassing. “There is an ideology that says Asibabizi baya sizela (We are not calling them, they come on their own), that is the theme. People are just coming on their own we do not have to recruit. That’s the advantage that we have.”
He said the MK will take a different approach to improving people’s lives. “If you go to church, you know they’re going to sing the same hymn. So we’re going to sing a new one.
He said there is still a stigma associated with the fact that many of them who joined MK were former ANC members. “That is just a fallacy, we have joined MK because it’s our constitutional choice. It is our right to [join] the party that you like. We are not disgruntled members from any party.”
Mashilabele said the Constitutional Court decision does not faze them. The ConCourt had ruled that Zuma cannot be a member of parliament, but he says nothing has changed. “The fact of the matter is that it does not change the president of the MK. They are saying he is not supposed to go to the parliament. But he remains in the ballot paper because Jacob Zuma is the president of the MK.”
Opportunity for citizens to make the right choices
He said the people of North West must understand that the next elections are critical. They are an opportunity for them to make the correct decision for their future. “uMkhonto we Sizwe is a solution; we are not talking money or tenders. We are talking about reclaiming the dignity of a black person.”
He said all MK rallies are unfunded, and that they are avoiding capture. “We want to use our political and administrative rights without any interference.”
Mashilabele said if South Africans do not seize this opportunity, it will be too late. MK Party promises to deal with issues around land redistribution and ending load-shedding. Also water shortages and decisively deal with crime, among other promises.
