Q&A: Candid conversations with South Africa's party leaders News24 On Air

Before laying the foundations of Build One South Africa (BOSA), Mmusi Maimane says he needed time to recover from the emotional turmoil of his DA exit in 2019.

“I felt I needed to heal from that because [of] the level of toxicity that was within the former party,” Maimane told News24.

ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe says he "doesn't imagine" that the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party will be the fifth largest party in the country, as some polls may suggest.

Mantashe says the MK Party has grown its presence in a few regions of the KwaZulu-Natal, like Empangeni and New Castle, because of its "tribal politics".

Politics is not a popularity contest for Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi.

The former newspaper editor says earning the trust of constituents has been his core focus while building his new party over the past 12 months.

GOOD leader Patricia de Lille believes that sexual misconduct allegations confronting her political party in recent years are reflective of the broader gender-based violence crisis plaguing society.

Last month, the GOOD party booted one of its members, a former rugby coach, whose facing two counts of attempted sexual assault and crimen injuria in the Vredendal Magistrate's Court.

Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) leader Pieter Groenewald believes his party holds appeal for black South Africans who share conservative values and prioritise community upliftment. Speaking on News24's Q&A elections podcast, Groenewald emphasised that the FF Plus is a party for all South Africans.

UDM president Bantu Holomisa believes the time for one-party dominance is over.

He says former president Jacob Zuma and his uMkhonto weSizwe Party should not be underestimated because Zuma boasts a national footprint.