Three small parties walk into a ballot box… and merge.
South Africa’s political landscape just got a little shake-up, and for once, it’s not a scandal.
Build One South Africa (Bosa), Good, and Rise Mzansi have officially merged to form Unite for Change, a new political party aiming to shake things up for the 2026 local government elections.
That’s right. On Sunday, it was announced that Mmusi Maimane, Patricia de Lille, and Songezo Zibi are joining forces.
Their pitch? To give South Africans a genuine, credible alternative at the polls. With the ANC’s dominance steadily slipping and the DA’s support stuck around 20–25%, there’s clearly space for something new.
Unite for Change wants to occupy that middle ground. It says it’s pro-Constitution, non-racial, and steering clear of the populist rhetoric that’s become commonplace on the political stage (MK and the EFF leading that charge), and there are no red overalls or fire pools in sight.
The logic behind the merger is straightforward: stop splitting the opposition vote and pool resources to build something stronger. Political analyst William Gumede has argued that if Unite can energise the millions who stayed home in 2024, it could become a meaningful player in local governance.
Sure, their combined showing in the 2024 national elections just scraped 1% of the vote, but the real prize is South Africa’s biggest voting bloc: the disillusioned. Over 11 million registered voters stayed home in 2024. If even a fraction shows up in 2026, things could get interesting.
For now, the party will operate under a collective leadership council, avoiding the “cult of personality” trap Zibi has long criticised in South African politics. They’re claiming: no single leader, no big egos (on paper, at least).
Existing MPs and councillors from the three founding parties will serve out their current terms, but come 2026, it’ll be all Unite on the ballot.
Of course, the road ahead won’t be easy. South Africa’s political space is crowded (a whopping 383 are registered on a national level), and mergers are notoriously tricky to manage.
Still, with the ruling ANC wobbling and local coalition politics getting messier by the day, Unite for Change could find itself well placed.
Disclaimer: Our sister company, Explain Agency, assisted Unite For Change with their launch social media strategy. No one who worked on the party’s strategy on the agency side was involved in our reporting, preventing undue influence.
