Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane says this week's elections were difficult due to “ethnic mobilisation”.
The BOSA leader attributed the support and growth of Jacob Zuma's MK Party to “Zulu nationalism”.
“We feel in a country that is polarising, that is moving in that direction, we need to restore the space of holding the centre.
“What I am saying is that if you look at variants of the ANC, MK party and EFF, these are parties of similar and two-thirds of South Africans who voted for these parties and each of these parties is moving to the extreme left or to the left progressively,” he said.
Speaking to the media at the IEC's results operation centre in Midrand on Saturday, he said the centre of a multiracial society had been vacated and his job was to build that centre.
When he started BOSA, he said, he wanted to engage the communities and looking at the election results board, he got votes across the country. His party now wanted to ensure that it enhanced and grew that support.
“So in these elections, we could sit back and say did the centre do well, did it make the right traction? That's a good question and we got to build it.
“That is what I mean and I think that is important, it is an important job in a country where I have to ask myself given that if BOSA wasn't on the ballot who would I be voting for?”
On Thursday, ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe also blamed tribalism for the MK Party's performance in the elections, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal.
He told the media at the results operating centre he was not surprised by the MK Party's results in KwaZulu-Natal.
“I don't think we should lock ourselves into Zulu tribalism. Tribalism is a backward form of politics, it has its time frame and then disappears. If that is the factor, I am not worried,” said Mantashe.
TimesLIVE
Maimane says ANC, MK Party and EFF are moving to the 'extreme left'
Image: Werner Hills
Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane says this week's elections were difficult due to “ethnic mobilisation”.
The BOSA leader attributed the support and growth of Jacob Zuma's MK Party to “Zulu nationalism”.
“We feel in a country that is polarising, that is moving in that direction, we need to restore the space of holding the centre.
“What I am saying is that if you look at variants of the ANC, MK party and EFF, these are parties of similar and two-thirds of South Africans who voted for these parties and each of these parties is moving to the extreme left or to the left progressively,” he said.
Speaking to the media at the IEC's results operation centre in Midrand on Saturday, he said the centre of a multiracial society had been vacated and his job was to build that centre.
When he started BOSA, he said, he wanted to engage the communities and looking at the election results board, he got votes across the country. His party now wanted to ensure that it enhanced and grew that support.
“So in these elections, we could sit back and say did the centre do well, did it make the right traction? That's a good question and we got to build it.
“That is what I mean and I think that is important, it is an important job in a country where I have to ask myself given that if BOSA wasn't on the ballot who would I be voting for?”
On Thursday, ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe also blamed tribalism for the MK Party's performance in the elections, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal.
He told the media at the results operating centre he was not surprised by the MK Party's results in KwaZulu-Natal.
“I don't think we should lock ourselves into Zulu tribalism. Tribalism is a backward form of politics, it has its time frame and then disappears. If that is the factor, I am not worried,” said Mantashe.
TimesLIVE
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