ROAD TO 2024 ELECTIONS
Roger Jardine: ‘We have to fix the balance sheets of SA Inc,’ says Change Starts Now presidential hopeful
On Sunday, businessman and activist Roger Jardine officially launched a political movement called Change Starts Now. Two days previously, Jardine sat down with Daily Maverick to outline his thinking.
Outgoing FirstRand chair Roger Jardine is already sensitive about being referred to as big business’s preferred presidential candidate. It’s an “unfortunate narrative”, he told Daily Maverick this week, days before he launched his new political movement on his humble home turf of Riverlea in Gauteng.
Another myth Jardine is keen to bust: the rumour that his political movement, Change Starts Now, has already raised more than R1-billion from infatuated donors.
“There’s no billion rand,” he says. “I intend working very hard throughout South Africa.”
And there’s not a moment to spare. With the 2024 elections expected to take place at any point between May and August, Jardine could have as little as five months to build national political structures.
“We don’t have time to slog through this,” Jardine admits.
(The election is currently expected by most observers to be held either on 8 or 22 May 2023 – Ed)
A road from activism to government to business to politics
Jardine has spent the last 25 years in high-profile private sector roles, including being at the helm of engineering and media companies. He made the move into business after being one of the youngest department directors-general in Nelson Mandela’s government, one who cut his teeth in political activism while still a student.
He describes his family background as having steeped him in political consciousness, with his grandmother working for unions alongside the mother of former Judge Albie Sachs.
“As our democracy has withered and declined, I have asked myself a lot of questions about what I should be doing. And I decided it was time.”
Jardine’s candidacy has been the subject of feverish speculation in political circles in recent weeks, but in other respects has seemingly come out of nowhere. Jardine insists that this is not the case and that the announcement of his political party launch followed a lengthy period of consultation with “the community, civil society and business”.
Read more in Daily Maverick: How real is Roger Jardine as SA opposition’s next big hope?
Affable and mild-mannered, Jardine is very likeable. But few people would claim that he is a household name — while there is, thus far, little distinct difference in view between his political principles and those of multiple existing opposition parties: the DA, Rise Mzansi and Build One South Africa. Those parties have the advantage of having been working on the ground towards the 2024 polls for months longer than the Change Starts Now movement will have at its disposal.
So, why not just plough his efforts towards supporting one of the existing parties?
“To join an existing party is to buy into an existing platform,” Jardine says.
“I’m not a career politician. Given the urgency of the situation, we are very open to talking to other parties and structures. What we would like to see is South Africans coming together so we can shape a progressive political party. Citizens want something new, and through the listening tour we are about to embark on, we can hopefully find some ideas.”
Team of high-flyers assembling
One of the factors in Jardine’s favour is the team members he is succeeding in assembling around him. They include veteran activist (and outgoing Maverick Citizen editor) Mark Heywood, outgoing Helen Suzman Foundation head Nicole Fritz, the Progressive Health Forum’s Dr Aslam Dasoo, and — perhaps most notably — former UDF leader and Thabo Mbeki speechwriter Murphy Morobe.
These are highly respected individuals who have all been convinced to leave fairly significant roles to throw their lot in with Jardine – a fact which in itself has to count for something.
Addressing the Change Starts Now launch on Sunday, Dasoo explained: “I am the head of the politics desk… Part of my brief is to gather the best and brightest in the political realm.”
Many had assumed from the timing of ANC veteran Mavuso Msimang’s resignation from the ruling party last week that Msimang would join Jardine’s outfit, but on Friday Jardine told Daily Maverick that Msimang would not be part of the Sunday launch.
What of the speculation that Jardine is to be ultimately parachuted in as the presidential candidate for the Multi-Party Charter, the pre-elections coalition of eight political parties including the DA?
Jardine doesn’t answer the question directly, but says: “The spirit of a Multi-Party Charter is one that we welcome. The state of South African politics calls for South Africans to come together.”
The race elephant in the room
Some weeks ago, a senior political figure told Daily Maverick that he was convinced that any credible South African presidential candidate would have to be isiZulu-speaking. Asked if he believes that millions of South Africans are ready to rally around a president who is not a black African, Jardine says: “We are going to test the proposition. But so far, it’s not an issue in our own research.”
What Jardine’s Sunday launch of Change Starts Now made clear is that non-racialism is one of the party’s most closely held ideological principles.
The ANC has been ignoring “the constitutional injunction to build a nonracial society”, Morobe told the audience.
“We need to turn towards each other, not against each other. South Africa is being re-racialised.”
Interviewing Jardine, it was hard to discern exactly what else his party stood for. He ruled out a “wholesale privatisation of public goods”, but suggested that South Africa’s “very advanced private sector” would “have to step in to assist with services”.
Jardine said, “We have to fix the balance sheets of SA Inc. A lot of private capital must be leveraged.”
At the Sunday launch, Jardine’s vision was fleshed out a little more. His party will resist attempts to restrict civil society in South Africa. It will support social grants, but holds that they are currently inadequate. It wants universal healthcare, but is opposed to the current NHI Bill. It envisages a Cabinet of technocrats, with skills from all manner of South African sectors and the ability to fix problems like Eskom.
But for the time being, Jardine and his team are in listening mode.
“It’s early; we are going to go out and talk to communities and parties,” Jardine told Daily Maverick.
Some might dispute how “early” it really is, with elections looming ever closer. The EFF was the last major party to get going so close to an election, when it launched in July 2013 ahead of the May 2014 polls. It garnered 6.35% of the national vote.
But the audience gathered at a Riverlea hall as Sunday afternoon tipped into evening was there to cheer on Jardine’s project, enthusiastically clapping and chanting “Change starts now!”
The love and support for Jardine within that room will need to be shared very much more widely if Jardine is to get the “critical mass at the polls” that he is aiming for.
Asked if he has one pick for the South African figure he would most like to join his movement, Jardine laughs.
“I want to recruit everybody!” he says. DM
Declaration: Outgoing Maverick Citizen Editor Mark Heywood has joined the Change Starts Now movement. His last day with Daily Maverick will be 14 December 2023. He was not involved in the production of this story.
Mr Jardine you have my support. I have listened to your speech and launch of this movement and am very impressed with what you and your colleagues are standing for. Change starts now is not just another political party. It is an ethos we all can agree on. A Nation building force for good. So difficult to achieve, but I for one am with you and will help where I can.
Wondering who the financial backers would be?
@Gerhardj90 – Jardin, the Ex Chairman of First. Major Shareholder, Ruper, therefore, Rupert will fund the project “Change Africa”
Does it matter? We badly need investment and job creation – our youth are crying out for this and know that the self-serving snake-oil salesmen, in bed with major criminals, Malema will take us in diametrically the wrong direction and to ruin.
The Jardine family, all of them, Derek, Roger et al, are good people, their father’s grave is nest to that of Oliver Tambo – and people of principle. They deserve our support.
Thanks Jon, looking at the comments here it seems so difficult to get people to pull together, so much unbelief and distrust everywhere. But thanks one and all for the positive ones. One thing I know for sure, in any quest, integrity is everything, so here I believe we have a chance if we can hold it together.
Congratulations on creating a party that starts with , CHANG STARTS NOW, with the caliber of individuals that’s on board, I think we will finally see people with a MORAL COMPASS trying to save South Africa, it’s going to be a bumpy road but in life nothing is easy.To see the end of the GANGSTERS( ANC politicians) will be worth waiting for.
GOOD LUCK
A green shoot, let’s hope it covers SA and quickly as another minute under this disastrous ANC rule is a minute too long!
I like what I hear about Mr Jardine.
So sorry, but just a lot of hot air from someone who has a lust for power. He is naive at best, and out of touch with reality. For example, for him to say that his lighter skin tone is irrelevant to voters is foolish. (It’s a psychological lesson the DA has yet to absorb.) SA would be better off if he, and other cowardly CEOs of large corporations, attacked the ANC is every possible public forum, and persuaded voters to give the regime a kick in the butt. All he’s now doing is fragmenting already tenuous opposition support, just like Ross Perot did in the USA, and giving a less popular candidate the chance to win.
Nah. I see some real merit there. Naive maybe but reality sucks.
I disagree. The DA has reached a self-imposed ceiling because of its stunning lack of political acumen and being unable to read a room. I’m not even sure the DA will beat the EFF this time around. What we do need is parties headed by people with a proven track record of success and the ability to galvanise both those who would otherwise not vote, as well as those in the ruling party who are fed up with the lies, theft and corruption that we get on a daily basis from the ANC. If the like of CSN and Rise can make significant inroads in key urban areas, we may well be rid of the ANC in provinces like Gauteng, Northern Cape and maybe even the Eastern Cape. As someone who has voted for the DA and its various iterations over the years, lately holding my nose doing it, I’m looking forward to being able to see for myself what these new parties promise.
I agree with IAM FEDUP. He has no no axe to grind with existing parties….
I quote. “little distinct difference in view between his political principles and those of multiple existing opposition parties: the DA, Rise Mzansi and Build One South Africa.” So why not “join an existing party to buy into an existing platform”?
“The spirit of a Multi-Party Charter is one that we welcome. The state of South African politics calls for South Africans to come together.” Well, come together!
So support and vote for one of those existing opposition parties, the DA plus alliance partners. To start a new party is to split the vote and hey boys, welcome to the ANC again!!
If Jardine makes a play for President within the DA alliance I would support him. If he is trying to get to president in this short time in a new party he has not got a hope in hell. Therefore, it is (if he wants to start a completeley new party) dummbb to even try.
All these little parties can come together if there is someone who can unite them. Politicians generally do not have the country really at heart. We need someone with integrity, who would be able to pull all the parties together. To me at seems Jardine might be able to do that. He is bright, lucid and seems to be sincere. He is a good speaker and his ideas sound. Maybe he thinks joining other parties would weaken the stand this movement is trying to make. I reckon we should wait and see how he goes before knocking the guy?
Why are those little parties not in the DA/Multi party alliance? They would be more productive at ejecting the ANC if they joined. I don’t see them miraculously joining together because of this guy pops out of the woodwork?
The “hot air” and “lust for power” are a bit over the top. You imply too that he is “cowardly”. I think you will find his live CV shows otherwise. I’m also confident that Roger Jardine and other credible leaders are acutely aware of what splitting the vote could result in, and that these leaders are talking to one another behind the scenes.
Happy to see the birth of CSN!
May the voice of opposition become the tidal wave that finally drowns that revolting, miserable, beneath contempt ANC.
As a country we have one last chance to have a future worth looking forward to.
The fractured opposition needs to sort itself out. As things stand, the opposition is playing exactly the game that the Zuma faction wants it to. Something radical needs to change!
It will require that for example the disbanded former UDF organisations resurrect themselves outside the ANC banner and rally support in their communities for one alliance.
It will require that the churches make it clear that a vote for the ANC is not a vote founded in solid values.
The introduction of “Change starts now”. and “Rise Mzansi” into the political arena are both very significant. But there are several other independents whom are also credible. Informed South Africans welcome this development. Will it make a chance in voters preferences? Yes, but mainly to those more politically aware. But the basic support base of the three or even four largest political parties, the ANC, DA, EFF and perhaps IFP will remain in place, and I doubt if we will see major shifts in voter percentages, although their might be coalitions in certain provinces. To make real change possible, the ANC will have to slip well below the 40% mark, and even then they might be the dominant partner in a coalition that will follow
We should elect wise leaders, irrespective of color, creed or race. I for one will support Roger Jardine.
Thats two of us, good for you.
The DA A4SA grouping needs Roger Jardine and his team. Neither Steenhuisen, Mashaba nor Beaumont are credible leaders and neither do they have wide appeal. Jardine is the man.
I could agree with you IF Jardine goes that route, President via the Multi Party Alliance. As another independent? Not!
I think more people recognize Mashaba and I think he is better known for his politics now than Jardine is and is more credible as people know what he has consistently been about.
Jardine in my opinion will have very limited pull on his own, he would need some established vehicle people believe in and I doubt there is enough time to build a new one ahead of the polls.
Indeed this is very uplifting news for civil society organisations, especially nonprofits who have felt the wrath of some vicious cabinet ministers and in-the-presidency ministers when challenging unconstitutional intent!
Right. And the ANC just loves it too!
As a former ANC member who was vilified for standing against corruption and malfeasance at the SOC’s and private sector. I will join Mr Jardine party. But I will need to know what is their policies on land expropriation, Corruption & Malfeasance,BEE, GBV, ESKOM,SOC’s Service Delivery, Just Transition Energy. Cadre Deployment & Integrity amongst others.
If he was really interested in changing things he would have joined another party. Instead he his now going to divide the vote even further. This country does not need another political party. They need one were politicians that really want to make a difference can put there internal differences aside for the good of the country and its people.
Right.
agree. This is what the ANC are hoping for.
As you said in your article, DA, BOSA, Rose Mzanzi and now Change Starts Now are all peas in a pod. Let’s hope that more similar thinking organizations, not just political parties, join up and set the agenda for 2024 onwards.
Imagine a platform/ticket like this: President Roger Jardine; Vice President Thuli Madonsela, largest party in the coalition – DA; head of Government Business – John Steenhuisen; ministerial posts for Mmusi Maimane, Songezo Zibi, Herman Mashaba, Velenkosini Hlabisa, Pieter Groenewald (best man for each job) plus let them find some suitable females for the cabinet.
There should be enough South Africans to get this lot much more than 50% + 1 of the vote.
Also focus on the three major provinces for coalition political leadership – Gauteng, KZN and Western Cape for now. The rest will follow soon.
Do not wait for 2029, we cannot wait for another 5 years of uncertainty.
Thuli Madonsela has made it quite clear that she is not up for a job in politics. Anyway her background suggests her skills would be better used in the judiciary. (Plus she has been very outspoken on the question of Palestine – how would she fit in with the DA position given what happened to Ghaleb Cachalia?)
He is a calm well composed and driven individual. He certainty has good quality leadership traits & is fully focused on the priorities. South Africa can be proud of this humble and professional addition to the others who are also offering a better managed government.
Sorry to be cynical but isnt this another reincarnation of Agang. Feel good policies which are essentially no different to the DA. Lots of enthusiasm going nowhere.
It’s hard to get excited. Would never consider Maimane or Mashaba, while, would anybody from ANC be considered, or indeed EFF and PA…. I would hope not but they control the Civil Service….and then there is the SACP and COSATU
Yes, there are far too many of these little rats-and-mice parties, which will serve only to fragment the vote and to make coalitions ever more unwieldy.
Seeing a party and a candidate with no negative baggage is welcome. If this takes off, it will no longer be a choice of voting for the lesser of many evils — a needed breath of fresh air, to be sure.
He seems to add very little that is usefully distinctive. Very much an ‘Organisation Man’.
Just another political hopeful who has the belief that politics is the answer to untold wealth.
Just ask the Comrades who live in mansions, drive luxury vehicles, have multiple sources of incomes and they will tell you, if they were not politicians, they would be poorer than poor.
At the same time, not all politicians are the same, but they greatly assist those thieving Comrades to continue looting state resources, such as voting against a motion of no confidence, Zuma et al. Why? It benefits them in more ways than one.
I dislike politicians, as they are the people’s problems around the world.
Could someone from “Change Start Now” please explain the differences in your approach to that of Rise Mzansi as spelt out in its manifesto. except that you are about a year behind
“To join an existing party is to buy into an existing platform,” Jardine says. “I’m not a career politician” Sounds like “I want to be president, I just don’t want to do the hard work of getting there”.
Rise Mzansi is led by credible young black South Africans (important in the South African context).
I’m not trying to start a turf war – we must all focus on building a movement devoted to social democracy, rectitude and efficiency. But really, I just don’t get it.
Thinking people are in there with you. We do not get it, because IT is not logical. Yet another party????????? Nah!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ll stick with Rise Mzansi whose manifesto and policies have been driven by dialogue with and input from communities across the country for the past year. A dynamic, intelligent, experienced and qualified team, none of whom were ever politicians, appeals to me, as does their practical vision for the country – that it will take a generation to turn things around.
It seems to me Jardine is telling the people what his movement is going to do, not asking them what they want. And his vague comment about the MPC makes me suspect he’s got his eye on the Presidency.
I must add I’m disappointed Mark Heywood decided to join them.
Sounds good, looks good, but it takes more than that to get into the driving seat.
Yes we need a change and “The Coalition” is about the only way it’s going to happen, RJ could be the guy to fill the major spot if they are successful so good luck.
A fractured opposition is the ideal solution for any party who cannot garner 50% of the votes. It is the most basic and old tactic yet is seems to work all the time, playing into people’s egos: one lion will always fend off a whole lot of jackals but one lion faced with a bigger lion will always back down. Until SA grows up and politicians decide to place the country before oneself there will be more of the same. BTW no I in team and as things stand there is no team: far too many I’s. The DA has managed to get rid of some of its most brilliant young black minds to entrench a mostly old and stale leadership, others are trying to plug the holes yet the reality is that hung seats will remain hung seats and favour the one party with the most votes but not necessarily the majority vote. If politicians were really concerned about the state of the nation they would step back and allow a technical team to take over, fix the fixable, jettison the unfixable and once the job is done hand over a properly administered and run country. It happened elsewhere and it happen here too, all it takes is the will of those in politics. But that is probably asking for the improbable if not the completely impossible.
please could the opposition parties unite so that we don’t split the vote – put away the ego’s – it’s t the only way to beat the ANC 🙏
Ed, I think you mean 8 or 22 May 2024 🙂
So 5 or 8 months out from a National Election it seems vanishingly unlikely that Rural South Africa will come out and vote in their numbers for a person or party they’ve never heard of. And in any event, an agenda of privatizing public services reeks of neo liberal capital, in some sense no difference from ANC policy. I can’t see but this will split and shatter an already complex vote leading to fewer seats in direct unity opposition. Can’t see the upside, myself.
Thanks for stepping up Mr Jardine !
Please work with the DA not because they should be preferred but they are the only party that is government ready and has had huge success in the WC and in the metros that govern.
The ideology and outlook is virtually cut and paste from each other.
Vote DA there is no more time left
All good and well, but my concern is that CSN takes votes off of the DA and weakens its position as the only credible alternative rather than taking any votes off a flailing ANC. That’s not in the national interest. At a minimum, I hope that CSN joins the Multi-Party Charter so that the votes are pooled under that vehicle and not lost to the potential coalition.
I, for one, can’t wait for the likes of Mark Heywood to be unleashed in parliament! He’ll make mincemeat out of the baleful sloths of the ANC!
Dear Mr Jardine, it is more than just an educated guess that 90% of SA’s voters have never heard of you, nor likely will have by election time.
Oom Louw Bettrie
Our country needs YAP (Yet Another Party) like a hole in the head …
I mean really now Cedric, are you being racist. According to you Roger doesn’t qualify because he is not black enough or because of your and the ANC’ latest “black african” tribe criterea. Besides being a whipsmart nuclear physicist who was denied a place at Wits medical school, he has worked in the public and private sectors and brings that experience with him. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the incumbents who probably don’t even know what an atom is and yet voted on a rotten nuclear deal don’t know what a debit or credit is and yet vote n a trillion rand budget. When competent people (who really don’t need to), put their hand up, you are there ready to pull them down for something as/ feckless as their race.
The only concern with lots of small opposition like-minded parties is that their dilution of the vote can contribute to lost votes where one needs a certain number to justify a seat or two in parliament – one would not want to lose seats by getting votes but not enough to justify a certain number of seast.
Ho hum. Not another party to dilute ANC opposition . The ANC are just laughing!!
precisely 👌
Great!! Another opposition party to further dilute the vote against the ANC. Why not join Action SA who is unencumbered by Helen and her Poodle and is actually made up of people who know what they are doing and who are not interested in politics as usual.
While your intentions are noble I am sure the net result will have the fat ANC/EFF comrades rolling around laughing at yet another party taking votes away from the main parties.
Another jumped up nobody who wants a couple of seats in Parliament. Nobody knows who he is except a couple of Maverick and News24 readers. Why should anyone vote for him? Where’s the party structure? The arrogance and self-deception is mind-boggling.
Ah yes, News24, I am a paid subscriber at R10 a month, but they do don’t excite me.
Why are you parading your ignorance? If you don’t know – read, find out – reach out to those who do.
Ho hum., another one… I’ve lost count how many does that make now. What do all these small one man parties think they’re trying to achieve? And perhaps he is some big shot ex banker, but I’ve never heard of him, and nor have millions others.
His conceit is unbelievable
I knew Mr Jardine in a business context and have high regard for his integrity and ability. However.. I am somewhat cautious of yet another political party which risks being buried in the static of elections. I suggest that joining and building a coalition of opposition parties and movements would be a more useful exercise, where his talents could best be utilised to the benefit of the country
Mark Heywood is a great catch for him, good luck Mark.
Aslam Dasoo is a dreadful windbag though and this vehement opposition to NHI without a plan for UHC is foolish and naive.
I don’t see how another startup party is going to do much good. We’ve had more than a few and they all seem to amount to do very little other than further dividing the opposition.
More people VOTE for their money (grants) than those who WORK for money.
Only in SA under the ANC!
It’s not sustainable!
Oh no… not another opposition ‘movement’ to challenge the ANC.
There are too many parties that will muddle the anti-ANC urban vote. Focus guys… focus!
And how about the millions of rural voters… that seemingly remain forgotten?
I support Roger Jardine and my hope is that the Multi-Party Charter and Jardine can work together. I believe that is our only hope of defeating the ANC,
Was it really necessary to fund a new party? The egos are going to crush as was to be expected.
I am worried that this will be seen as another bunch of privileged folk.
We need a party like Rise Mzansi with which the less privileged can identify. Otherwise we get the EFF or ANC – heaven help us !
Exactly what we need; a party based upon principles and with a very clear vision of what is wrong with our country.
The priority now needs to be, more than ever, get the economic fundamentals right – or as Roger puts it – fix the balance sheet, because without getting this basic building block on a firm, and solid footing, there can never be a future.
We can only get the social advancement policies that underpin western European societies because they built on and from, strong economies.
There are no shortcuts – we all, who wish SA well, know this, and we collectively need to work together to re-build the sort of economy from which we can build the sort of country we all aspire, and want, South Africa to become.
And the time is NOW.
Sorry to point out the elephant in the room….
But with a name like “Change Starts Now”… it is destined to only ever be a small fringe party and nothing more.
Surely with all that money he could have started with some marketing people?
Check the EFF and watch their modus operandi… very clever name, colour scheme, branding, imagery… THAT is what you need to be successful as a new political party in SA.
Unfortunately most of the start-up parties are simply to clever for their own good and exist in the educated woke inner city echo-chamber which only represents and is understood by WAAAY less that 10% of our population across all groups.
To win SA you need the support of the masses.
To get that you need the right colours, logo, music, imagery and a SIMPLE message. You also need a name that is inspiring and that can be sung nicely.
No I am NOT being sarcastic. The intellectual battle for SA’s soul is nonexistent as too few people are capable of taking part.
For the masses to follow you and bring their votes, you need to appeal to their hearts.
Yes you definitely need the masses, and you make some valid points. However I would say that the masses are increasingly not voting and they are also increasingly urbanising. So it may not happen now, but it needs to start now (change – see what I did there). I agree the name isn’t fantastic. Quickest way to appeal to the heart is through the stomach I believe – so maybe something we all have a common liking of, like the Chakalaka Party or the Pap and Wors party..