Jardine invites ex-ANC vet Mavuso Msimang to his new outfit

Launching his political movement on Sunday, former banker and businessman Roger Jardine revealed he was courting former ANC stalwart Mavuso Msimang, who resigned from the governing party last week.

Speaking at a community hall in Riverlea, in the west of Joburg, Jardine, who is believed to have the support of the business elite, said Msimang represented the ANC many knew in yesteryears, a departure from the current party.

“I have talked to many good people in the ANC while on this journey. I have sought their counsel and advice. The message is clear: 2024 is not 1994. The world and our country are in a materially different place. Nevertheless, these outstanding leaders, the veterans, the stalwarts. Their values apply as much today as they did 30 years ago.”

“I want to salute in particular Mavuso Msimang. He is the living embodiment of the ANC of our parents and grandparents. I have sought his counsel and advice and will continue to do so in the hope that he will join our movement and guide us to a better place for all South Africans.” Jardine said the face of opposition politics in SA was also changing.

“Many people with intimate and historical ties to the liberation movement are reaching a tipping point. They are doing so because the dignity of our people is being stripped away.”

Jardine, who is a former ANC member,  unveiled his new party, Change Starts Now, among his family, friends and acquaintances in a hall with about 400 people in attendance, who included political activists Murphey Morobe, Nicole Frits and Mark Haywood.

Jardine, a businessman, called on young people to help change the political landscape of the country by removing the ANC from power.

“We call on young people to register to vote, and we should not act like we don’t have a choice but to bring back the ANC. We should not be forced to choose between those who want to break things and those who have long forgotten about how to build things. This ANC is not the ANC of my parents and grandparents, and this is not my ANC,” he told the crowd.

He charged that the current ANC-led government represented decay in state governance.

“The ANC government is the face of corruption, face of uncaring party and incompetent state. It is now time for people from all walks of life and different sectors of life to work together and build a coalition that will bring a political change.”

The Change Starts Now movement is set to address issues among others the issues of youth unemployment, power outages, crime and poverty.

He said the downfall of the ANC would restore the hopes and dreams of every South African.

“Political parties should use the decline of the ANC to create a parliament that takes the issues of communities and discuss them in order to resolve them,” he said.

He promised to increase social grants as he believes that the current social grant money does not help the beneficiaries to meet all their needs.

He also called on public participation to shape the party’s policy, which the public believes will help shape the state of the country.

Jardine was born in Riverlea in 1965 and holds a BSc in Physics from Haverford College and an MSc in Radiological Physics from Wayne State University. He is a former director-general for the department of arts, culture, science and technology and is the outgoing chair of FirstRand.

Tikwa Mkhize from Orlando in Soweto said he knew Jardine through his brother who played rugby. 

“I think he should join the multi-party coalition because I want him to work with the DA because I believe in John Steenhuissen,” he said.

Mkhize said he was registered to vote for a president who would have the interest of South Africans at heart.

“I am going to vote for a president that will not buy people with t-shirts and R350; we want someone who is ready to lead and govern. We have a beautiful country and it’s sad that we are on the verge of collapsing.”

Simamkele Mbali from Orlando East said he knew Jardine through friends. 

“My friends always talk about him; that his dad owned a rugby team, so that is how I know him. I cannot say much about him,” he said.

“I don’t know if he is capable of leading. I am here because I want to hear from him,” he said.

“It’s 50/50. I am undecided because it’s good to join those who have been in politics so that they can show and lead you. But it would be good to see him changing SA on his own.

“I want a president with no corruption scandal and a president who will lead from the front – a president who has the interests of SA at heart. Any president who can eradicate corruption,” said Mbali.