New project to replace the ANC in 2029 and rescue South Africa

Political analyst Prince Mashele has unveiled a project to establish a new political party to dethrone the ANC in the 2029 general elections and rescue South Africa.

Mashele is a prominent political scientist, analyst, and author known for his sharp and often provocative commentary on the country’s governance and leadership.

He has held various influential roles, including serving as a speechwriter in the South African Presidency and for the Pan-African Parliament.

He is the Executive Director of the Centre for Politics and Research and a former Senior Research Fellow at the University of Pretoria.

Mashele shared details about a new political project at the 2026 Biznews Conference in Hermanus on 12 March 2026.

He told delegates that the new project will be a meritocratic, market-based alternative which combines the “black politics” of the ANC and the “white politics” of the DA.

The groundwork for the project has already been done. However, it will only be launched after the 2026 local government elections.

It will be led by highly educated professionals, including doctors, engineers, and teachers, who have never held leadership positions in other political parties

Mashele said the new party will have a competent black President and a competent white Deputy President to inspire confidence across all demographics.

A unique feature of the project is a Council of Wisdom, comprising independent high achievers over 60 from academia, the private sector, and NGOs.

This council will serve as a sounding board and a public watchdog to ensure the leadership does not veer off the road.

Unlike other political parties, it plans to announce its full cabinet before the election so voters and investors can see a government-in-waiting.

Mashele said their plan will limit the cabinet to no more than 21 ministers and completely abolish the role of deputy ministers to end patronage networks.

Funding needed to create the new party

Mashele unveiled ambitious plans to ensure that the new political party replaces the ANC as the de facto party for black voters.

These plans include printing 30 million T-shirts, distributing them across South Africa, and filling FNB Stadium in Soweto with party supporters.

“You fill the FNB Stadium, fly balloons in the sky, and get everyone excited. People will see this is a government in waiting,” he said.

He also wants to attract top professionals to serve as leaders in the party by paying them well for their services.

This will cost a lot of money. To fund this project, the team has already registered an NGO called Rescue South Africa to attract donations.

To avoid being controlled by any single interest, the project seeks funding from the general public and billionaires alike.

Although the project’s specific funding needs have not been announced, Mashele said it can be done with less than R2 billion.

“The project will be well-publicized and easy for anyone to participate either in person or financially,” he said.

The team plans to conduct a national roadshow to consult with citizens and identify the brightest local talent to catapult into national and provincial leadership.

The plan behind the new political party

Mashele said the new project draws inspiration from Singapore’s developmental model under former leader Lee Kuan Yew.

It transformed Singapore from a low-income port into a high-income global metropolis by prioritizing pragmatic governance, economic openness, and strict social order.

Mashele said education will be a central pillar, repositioning public schools and higher education with a strict focus on mathematics, science, and technology.

They will replace BEE with a redress program focused on quality education for black children and the economic empowerment of all low-paid workers.

Key priorities include securing borders and mercilessly deporting illegal foreigners, as well as a massive 6-to-12-month engineering push to rebuild public infrastructure.

The project plans to scrap expropriation without compensation laws to attract investors and cut through red tape.

“The people who came up with the expropriation law have not implemented it. The only purpose it serves is to scare away investors,” he said.

The project also aims to do away with the National Health Insurance (NHI) and instead focus on improving public healthcare.

Mashele said the project’s success will ultimately depend on the educated elite leaving their comfort zones to enter politics and take responsibility for fixing the country.