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Ramphele to contest 2014 elections

Mamphele Ramphele Photo: MARK ANDREWS
Mamphele Ramphele Photo: MARK ANDREWS

We need to move our country forward in a systematic manner. The golden oldies must go into the sunset.

Author, activist and businesswoman Mamphela Ramphele intends using her "political party platform" to contest the 2014 national elections.

"What I am going to be doing, and have been doing, is consulting every citizen because they deserve as much attention," Ramphele told reporters in Johannesburg on Monday.

"It's called a party political platform because it's still in a consultative stage."

She said every South African had a right to contribute to the platform, called Agang SA, which meant Build South Africa in Sepedi, and to shape it.

"Our approach is to go from village to village, township to township, young people, old people, rich people, poor people because the country belongs to all of us," Ramphele said. "Ours is a consultative process."

She said Agang SA would bring additional things into the political space, such as a campaign for electoral reform, the launch of a war against corruption, and improving education.

It would develop many public policies and plans to put these into practice.

A policy director was putting together working groups to come up with policies in key areas. The platform's policies and implementation strategies would be evidence-based, said Ramphele.

"We need to move our country forward in a systematic manner."

She said she saw herself as the bridge between the generation that fought for freedom and her children's generation.

"The golden oldies must go into the sunset."

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