Mmusi Maimane is a politician and businessman from South Africa who was active in the opposition parties in the nation from his birth on June 6, 1980, in Krugersdorp. He assisted in founding the Build One South Africa (BOSA) party, which he has led since 2022.
Mmusi Maimane Childhood
Maimane grew up in the Transvaal province’s Dobsonville, Soweto (now in Gauteng province). Born to Tswana and Xhosa parents, Simon and Ethel Maimane, he is the oldest of their four children.
Mmusi Maimane Schooling
After attending Allen Glen High School, little Maimane went to St. Angela’s Primary School. He later graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Africa (UNISA), a master’s degree in public administration from the University of the Witwatersrand, and a master’s degree in theology from Bangor University in Wales. Maimane worked for humanitarian organizations like Scripture Union and as a business consultant before going into politics.
Mmusi Maimane’s Wife and Children
In his adolescent years, Maimane switched from Roman Catholicism, despite having been raised as a Catholic. Since becoming an adult, he has actively participated in the church, serving as a pastor and elder and giving speeches. In 2005, he tied the knot with Natalie, the woman he would marry, at church. Together, they are parents to three kids.
Mmusi Maimane Getting into the Political Sphere
Maimane’s family had been longtime supporters of the African National Congress (ANC), and at first, he was too, but he soon lost faith in the organization.
He clarified in a 2013 address that he still thought the ANC should be commended for spearheading the liberation movement during the apartheid era and for trying to alleviate some of the worst conditions that the system had brought about in the nation. He believed that the ANC no longer merited his vote, nevertheless, because of the party’s recent activities.
Maimane became a member of the historically white and liberal Democratic Alliance (DA) in 2010. He ran as the Democratic Alliance’s nominee for Johannesburg mayor the following year.
Maimane sat on the city council, where he was the official opposition leader, and his profile within the party continued to develop even if the party did not receive enough votes to win the mayoral seat. He was designated as the national spokesperson for the DA later that year. He was chosen to serve as the party’s deputy federal chairperson for the 2012 federal congress.
In the 2014 elections, the ANC defeated the DA and took the position of premier of Gauteng province, although Maimane was the DA’s nominee. Having been included in the party’s initial lists of candidates for the national and provincial legislatures, Maimane decided to take up her position as an MP in the nation’s National Assembly. He took office in May 2014 and was chosen to lead the party’s parliamentary group in that same month.
Head of the Democratic Alliance
Maimane became the first Black leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) after she was elected to lead the party during its federal congress in May 2015. While racial tensions were visible inside the party and quickly tested Maimane’s leadership, the DA proceeded with its efforts to widen its base of white, liberal voters. DA MP Dianne Kohler-Barnard wrote on social media in September that President P.W. Botha’s racist apartheid era was better than the present.
The ANC, other South Africans, and Maimane, among other DA executives, were incensed by this. She apologized and removed the message, but in October she was kicked out of the party. (Her expulsion was successfully challenged, and in December 2015, she was granted reinstatement.)
Following that instance, in January 2016, a DA member offended a lot of people and stirred up controversy when they posted a racist statement on social media. In reaction to the resulting controversy, Maimane declared that racism would not be allowed within the party and released an antiracism pledge that all DA members would have to abide by or risk being kicked out.
Maimane was forced to respond in March 2017 to contentious comments made regarding colonialism by Helen Zille, the premier of the Western Cape province and a former leader of the Democratic Alliance.
Her remarks, he claimed, were in odds with the party’s principles and referred her to the legal commission of the party for an inquiry and possible disciplinary punishment. (Although a disciplinary hearing was supposed to take place in late June, Zille and the DA came to an agreement before the hearing could take place.) One of the most powerful DA members, Zille, and Maimane had a tense relationship as a result of the incident.
In the meantime, Maimane’s popularity was enhanced when the Democratic Alliance (DA) secured significant victories in the August 2016 local elections, overthrowing the ANC-led administration in three significant municipalities. In April 2018, he was reelected as the party’s leader during the DA’s federal congress.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) had a minor fall in performance at the May 2019 elections, marking the first decline in the party’s history. As a result, Maimane ordered an investigation into the situation. According to the report, which was published in October, Maimane’s indecisiveness, inconsistent behavior, and aversion to conflict were among the traits that contributed to the party’s issues, despite her extraordinary talent, commitment to the cause, hard work, and popularity.
Lastly, the report suggested Maimane’s and two other officials’ resignations. In response, Maimane stated that he had realized that not everyone in the party shared his views or his vision for the DA. As party leader, he resigned on October 23, 2019. He abandoned the party and resigned from his National Assembly seat the next day.
Election Reform, the One South Africa Movement, and SiSibenza
The One South Africa Movement was established in 2020 by Maimane and businessman Michael Louis. Its objectives included promoting electoral reform and enabling South Africans to choose their own candidates for provincial and national office instead of choosing a party, as is currently the case under the nation’s proportional representation system.
In addition, the group promoted political participation and worked to support independent candidates running against well-established mainstream party candidates. Maimane and the group joined others in campaigning for change in line with the organization’s ideals.
To fix the flaws in the current procedure, they collaborated with Mosiuoa Lekota, the leader of the COPE political party, who introduced an electoral change bill in 2020. The fact that the proposed reforms could not be put into effect prior to the 2024 provincial and national elections contributed to the bill’s demise in February 2022.
In January 2022, Maimane started working for SiSibenza, an investment firm that focuses on the social and economic advancement of Africa. He emphasized that this decision was not an attempt to exit politics, but rather an attempt to improve his governance abilities by deepening his understanding of and exposure to development.
Mmusi Maimane’s Age
Mmusi Maimane was born on the 6th of June 1980 and at the time of this writing, he is 44 years old.
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