Mmusi Maimane's Build One SA (BOSA) will not only create jobs for every household in South Africa, but it will also overhaul government by shrinking the Cabinet and getting rid of deputy ministers.

On Sunday, BOSA, which Maimane established in 2022 following his dramatic exit as the Democratic Alliance leader), launched its party manifesto as it readies to contest elections for the first time.

The 2024 general elections are seen as the most challenging elections yet since the dawn of democracy, and many political party leaders, including Maimane, fancy themselves occupying the Union Buildings.

Maimane, who is also an ordained pastor, delivered a sermon-like manifesto to party supporters and his parents, who were in attendance at Victoria Yards in Bertrams, Johannesburg, where he made ambitious promises of creating two million jobs in the next five years if BOSA gets into government.

"I am convinced that the fastest and shortest way to build this South Africa is to create more jobs and create wealth for families. This election is about one thing, it is about a job in every home," he said.

Earlier, deputy party leader Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster had told the crowd that, following extensive consultation with academics, analysts and ordinary South Africans, it was clear that the biggest problem in the country was joblessness, hence the job-centred manifesto by BOSA.

"This plan is not just something we dreamt up; we went through thousands of submissions by South African communities. I have been on international roadshows engaging people about what we can do, with top universities, and today is, what I deliver to you, a blueprint for us to deliver jobs," Maimane said when delivering the manifesto.

"In the next five years, when we come into government, [we will] deliver two million jobs in every household in this country," Malema claimed.

“We have worked out that there are 18-million households average of 3.3 people per household, therefore, to put a job in every home, at an absolute minimum, we require at least 2-million jobs.

"I am saying give us five years and see if we do not give people jobs in every household ... Our jobs plan is comprehensive." 

Regarding how the party plans to create these two million jobs in five years, Maimane said they would fix Eskom and find the best people to work for the power utility to ensure the end of load shedding.

Maimane has concluded the delivery of BOSA's manifesto, which promises jobs in every household in South Africa.@TeamNews24 pic.twitter.com/L0j8xi8m20

— Bongekile Macupe (@BongeMacupe) January 28, 2024

The party also plans to invest in communities by building infrastructure, building township economic zones that support entrepreneurs, and fixing Transnet.

"You cannot create jobs until your logistics are fixed, therefore we are going to create a public-private partnership between Transnet and entrepreneurs so that we can make sure the goods that are landing on the coastline of Durban find themselves on our economy so that we can have a logistics-friendly company," he said.

Maimane's other interventions included establishing private-public collaboration to realise a business training and mentorship programme for entrepreneurs, building factories in townships, and establishing a jobs and justice fund to help businesses that lack capital.

"We have to ensure that South Africans who are left behind can participate in the economy," the BOSA leader said.

Overhauling the government

BOSA's other great ambition is to overhaul the government if it is voted into power.

For one, it plans to introduce a law that allows citizens to vote directly for public representatives and not parties, and further implement changes to legislation and the Constitution.

These changes include having an independent Parliament Speaker, reducing the Cabinet size and scrapping deputy ministers.

The party also wants a monthly performance review of employees in key departments, as well as an ethics ombudsman to monitor Cabinet members' conduct and to conduct lifestyle audits of all people who hold senior positions in government departments.

"These must be forensic in nature, looking into bank accounts, debit payments, school fee payments, trust accounts and all money that changes hands with politicians," reads the BOSA manifesto. 

Maimane believes his party can bring change in the lives of South Africans and even claims that it is through BOSA that "the legacy and the promise of freedom [can be] continued".