BOSA’s first election advert for TV a message of unity and hope in a fast-dividing South Africa
10 May 2024
Today we officially air the “I Believe” tv advert – BOSA’s first of this campaign. It paints the stark dichotomy between what we can be as a thriving country, and where we are right now under the current government. The choice in this election is between either unity, growth and prosperity, or five more years of decline.
While some are burning flags in their adverts, others are telling falsehoods about their 30-year tenure in government. More of the same predictable behaviour from the old parties, without a single new idea or credible vision.
Our advert seeks to cut through the noise and clutter and offer a message of unity and hope amid a fast-dividing South Africa. We recognise the pressing need for a non-racial umbrella party to hold the centre and provide the platform for building one South Africa. And BOSA is that party.
This is further evidenced by the fact that ethno-nationalist parties are all on the rise and growing. The Patriotic Alliance (PA), uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), Freedom Front Plus (VF+) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) principally – as we continue to divide and move further away from each other.
This is informed by the complexity of our country’s past, which still lives with us today. Underneath the thin veneer of a national collective is a hotbed of division that can be stoked without much effort. Wise, collaborative and intelligent leadership is required to manage this delicate democracy which only recently turned 30.
Yet instead of doing the hard yards of mature consensus building, most politicians and parties have taken the easy route: pick a lane - be it race, religion, tribe, or ethnicity – and mobilise around that. This is political opportunism 101. Leaders who pursue this brand of politics are a hindrance to building a country where all who live in it can prosper together and live together peacefully.
The next chapter in South Africa’s history – the next 30 years – begins shortly. It requires dedicated leadership to take the tough decisions and make the right calls on societal issues that continue to prevent our progress.
As the advert states, BOSA believes in a South Africa where the economy works for all, and there is at least one job in every home; where our children are maths and science champions, not dying in pit latrines; and where our families are not the next victim of a violent act of crime
BOSA believes in a South Africa where citizens are proud of their country, not packing their bags and leaving for good; where the colour of one’s skin doesn’t determine their chances in life; and where those who steal public money are arrested and jailed
We recognise that this South Africa may not exist yet, but we believe that together, we can build it.
Finally, we draw inspiration today as we remember on this day, 30 years ago, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first democratically elected president, heralding a seismic shift away from a past of racial division and inequality with the promise of a united, prosperous and equal country.
Issued by Roger Solomons, Acting Spokesperson, BOSA, 10 May 2024
