MOVE is rooted in the ideal of Good Governance. Our society is intersectional in nature, therefore a problem that begins in one sector bleeds into another sector. By the same token, a lack of Good Governance in one silo will negatively affect other silos. This creates a knock-on effect that results in socio-economic instability, lower standards of living and slows down industrialisation. In order to achieve Good Governance, we need accessible leadership, to build bridges that all South Africans can walk across to reach a brighter future and to reimagine our political culture based on the understanding that the greatest leaders are the humblest servants.

Further it is important to ensure that representation is participatory and inclusive; rooted in accountability; driven by consensus, transparency and responsiveness; espouses efficient, effective and equitable according to the rule of law. This will promote Good Governance by creating a synergistic relationship between the state, the private sector and civil society. The result will be state-owned enterprises that function optimally which will develop various sectors in the economy which will boost industry, stimulate job creation through commercial expansion and reduce youth unemployment.

Move main focus targets three areas:

Accessibility: It is important that citizens must be able to access their leaders in a representative democracy. In light of this, MOVE seeks to be accessible to South Africans so that issues brought to our attention are placed on the national agenda for critical engagement. 

Bridge Building: It is important to build bridges for all South Africans to be able to walk across. This means that a wide array of views, opinions and expertise must be taken into consideration in the decision-making process. Regardless of one’s race, creed, religion or ethnicity their views matter. MOVE therefore seeks to foster solutions by taking into account a wide array of views in order to plot the way forward. 

Reimagine Political Culture: Our political culture in South Africa is largely rooted in the notion of elitism at the leadership level. The greatest leaders are the humblest servants which is why it is important to focus on developing a culture where leaders realise that their duty is to serve those who have mandated them to lead.

Respect for democratic values in South Africa can be restored through the trust that is garnered by demonstrating servant leadership. When people can be confident that the driving force behind their leaders’ actions are ensuring that they serve the people that they represent whole-heartedly. Leaders driven by servant leadership will be more likely to espouse the values such as accountability, transparency, openness and social equity. MOVE will therefore promote servant leadership in pursuit of democratic values.

MOVE will promote social cohesion by partnering with civil society, non-governmental organisations and active citizens to identify similar interventions that are currently ongoing in an effort to consolidate resources, reach and manpower in order to be more impact. Social cohesion can be achieved through wide collaboration.

MOVE seeks to promote Good Governance in an effort to contribute to the removal of barriers to employment. The stagnation of our state-owned enterprises has further stagnated employment opportunities. SOE’s are meant to be the bedrock behind industrial projects such as power plants, steel plants, fertilizer plants, petrochemical and refineries, cement plants, aluminium plants etc. 

These projects are meant to contribute to societal growth while providing employment opportunities. The greater the number of projects, the more likely the opportunities or employment that come with them. A lack of Good Governance has served as a barrier to industrial growth in many instances through improper management and a lack of accountability in the bureaucratic processes in these SOE’s has caused disruptions in the supply chains of much of these projects which further undercuts employment. MOVE therefore seeks to use its oversight role in parliament advocate for Good Governance to promote employment.

MOVE seeks to engage civil society by supporting the initiatives in the civil society space and making strides towards bolstering their efforts of civil society. Additionally, MOVE seeks to maintain consistent dialogues with civil society organisations and encourage engagement on various platforms. Moreover, MOVE supports partnering with civil society on actions to promote social inclusion of the marginalized in the development process.

Gender-based violence is scourge that is plaguing South Africa. During my time as a student leader, Stephanie Cookson and I started #SpeakoutUP at the University of Pretoria which continues to run awareness campaigns, train students and staff and has a number of volunteers. MOVE therefore seeks to promote anti-GBV campaigns, promote sensitisation about GBV, contribute towards breaking the cyclical nature of GBV and raise awareness wherever possible. It is an umbrella term that encompasses the following:

• Domestic violence: also called domestic abuse or intimate partner violence, is any pattern of behaviour that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. It can also include
  • Economic violence: involves making or attempting to make a person financially dependent by maintaining total control over their finances.
  • Psychological violence: involves causing fear by intimidation; threatening physical harm to self, partner or children.
  • Emotional violence: includes undermining a person’s sense of self-worth through constant criticism; verbal abuse.
  • Physical violence: involves hurting or trying to hurt a partner by hitting, kicking, burning, grabbing, pinching, shoving, slapping, hair-pulling, biting, denying medical care or forcing alcohol and/or drug use, or using other physical force. It may include property damage.
  • Femicide: the intentional murder of women because they are women, ex-partners, and involve ongoing abuse in the home, threats or intimidation, sexual violence or situations where women have less power or fewer resources than their partner.
  • Honour killing: the murder of a family member, usually a woman or girl, for the purported reason that the person has brought dishonour or shame upon the family.
• Sexual violence: any sexual act committed against the will of another person, either when this person does not give consent or when consent cannot be given because the person is a child, has a mental disability, or is severely intoxicated or unconscious as a result of alcohol or drugs. It can also include
  • Sexual harassment: encompasses non-consensual physical contact, like grabbing, pinching, slapping, or rubbing against another person in a sexual way. 
  • Rape: any non-consensual vaginal, anal or oral penetration of another person with any bodily part or object.
  • Human trafficking: acquisition and exploitation of people, through means such as force, fraud, coercion, or deception. 
  • Female genital mutilation: includes procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. 

• Online or digital violence: against women refers to any act of violence that is committed, assisted or aggravated by the use of information and communication technology (mobile phones, the Internet, social media, computer games, text messaging, email, etc) against a woman because she is a woman. Online violence can include the following:
  • Cyberbullying: involves the sending of intimidating or threatening messages.
  • Non-consensual sexting: involves the sending of explicit messages or photos without the recipient’s consent.
  • Doxing: involves the public release of private or identifying information about the victim.

MOVE seeks to promote the ideals of Good Governance. In South Africa, our state-owned enterprises (SOE’s) are meant to be a driving force behind industrialisation which is necessary to stimulate economic growth. The lack of Good Governance in this area has lead to the over-bureaucratisation of these enterprises which has resulted in the exploitation of the bureaucratic process for corruption and self-gain. Additionally, this has also resulted in inefficient management of SOE’s which has further stunted economic growth. 

This has stunted economic growth is not limited to one sector or department. However, the approach to addressing them has largely been based on operating in silos. By promoting Good Governance, MOVE advocates for an inter-departmental approach that maintains a synergistic relationship between different silos. This in turn will streamline processes and promote accountability and economic growth. MOVE seeks to use its parliamentary oversight role to promote Good Governance.

The decentralization of economic activity from city centres in Urban areas is an important endeavour. MOVE encourages boosting Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in order stipulate economic activity in non-urban areas. Doing so will foster development which will improve the infrastructure in rural communities that will in turn create economic growth and improve living standards. MOVE therefore encourages greater support for SMMEs to ensure that they are not blocked by complicated administrative processes from the government. This can be achieved by providing resources that will make it easier for SMMEs to navigate accreditation processes and funding applications.

Currently, the South Africa constitution already allows for land expropriation without compensation. This is a reality in South Africa. When considering land expropriation, it is important to take into account the context of a particular instance. A blanket approach to the land question may not be prudent. Often times when seeking to recover land, it is not the land acquisition of the land that is the goal. The is often to improve one’s socio-economic situation. There will therefore be instances where land will be expropriated with compensation and instances where there will be expropriation without compensation. MOVE therefore advocates for the expropriation of land to occur on a case-by-case basis. Abandoned property that still possesses an owner on paper are a good example of land that would require the application of expropriation without compensation. These pieces of land are often a hot spot for criminal activity and must therefore be re-purposed.

MOVE seeks to encourage the better operationalisation of structures such as the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) within the wider SADC framework. By working synergistically with the Customs Technical Liaisons Committee of the SACU and the Department of Home Affairs, it is possible to improve the processing mechanism for immigrants that seek to use the appropriate means to enter South Africa in South Africa and apply the rule of law in a fair and just manner where an inappropriate means is attempted.

The Geo-strategic role of South Africa in SADC is to serve as a regional leader based on our strength in Transportation, Trade, Agriculture, Communication, Mining and Energy. It is important that South Africa maintains its strength by ensuring that our state-owned enterprises do not deteriorate any further. In this regard MOVE seeks to advocate for Good Governance in the state as it relates to our various industries in order to demonstrate continued competence to our friends in the region while promoting the objectives of SADC which are to achieve economic development, peace and security, and growth as well as alleviate poverty.

The Global South is seeking greater agency and autonomy. To this end, MOVE views the role of South Africa as a geo-political uplifter and mediator. South Africa is currently playing an important role as a mediator in SADC region. This can be extended further on the continent and even wider within the Global South. South Africa can also use its role in multilateral platforms such as BRICS to support the agency of states within the Global South and therefore contribute towards uplifting South Africa and other states within the Global South to be more self-sufficient and self-sustaining.