Former government spokesperson Ayanda Allie has claimed the number three spot on Mmusi Maimane’s Build One SA (Bosa) party candidate list ahead of the May 29 elections.
Allie, who could be marching to Parliament if her party garners more than three seats in this year's poll, joined politics in January when she was appointed communications head of Bosa.
Former journalist and radio presenter, Allie served as the transport minister and now ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula’s spindoctor.
Allie initially said she had grown increasingly uncomfortable while working for the government because she had seen that she had failed to “make a change from within”.
“Push came to shove and I left the public sector. But not before attaining a master’s degree in public administration,” Allie said.
Bosa acting spokesperson Roger Solomons, released the list of 30 candidates to the public on Tuesday with Allie at number three, while Maimane took the first spot. Former Tshwane mayor Stevens Mokgalapa was at number five.
The former DA member lost the mayoral chain after he was fired by his party following a controversial sex scandal and was forced to resign from his party to join Bosa in 2022.
At number two on Bosa’s list is its deputy and women activist Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster while little known Kathryn Berman makes it at number five.
Solomons said more than 130 individuals had made the cut after qualifying through a robust and unique candidate selection process.
“This group has the right blend of skills, experience, diversity and passion to serve the people of South Africa with aplomb in legislatures across the country,” he said.
The purpose of the “extensive” recruitment process was to ensure that each candidate was properly vetted, so that only suitable candidates ended up on the ballot with the support of their community and the endorsement of the party, he said.
“Transparency is key to improving the quality of elected representatives in government and improving their relationship with the public. That is why our leadership team took the decision to make these lists public so that citizens can view, scrutinise, and ultimately decide if they will vote for our party and its candidates,” he said.
The party was now going to focus and resume the process of identifying the party’s premier candidates, he said.
“The candidates will be announced in the coming weeks. Bosa candidates will spend the next 78 days campaigning in their communities, asking South Africans to lend their vote to Bosa for the next five years,” he said.
The party was now established nationally in all nine provinces, with a leader (Maimane) who has national appeal, and candidates who are fresh, talented and ready to build, he said.
The Star