At just three months and 11 days old, the GOOD party is confident it can fix the Eastern Cape and SA.
The party – led by former Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille – wants to split Eskom into two and make renewable energy accessible to all.
The GOOD movement has also promised to increase social grants annually in line with the rate of inflation.
These were some of the plans that GOOD Eastern Cape premier candidate Celeste Domingo unpacked as part of the party’s offering for the 2019 elections.
Other priority areas for the party include fixing social, economic, spatial and environmental injustices.
Domingo was speaking at the official Eastern Cape launch in Malabar, Port Elizabeth, on Saturday.
Domingo, who has vast experience in local government, said they had been conducting interviews with people at municipalities and hospitals.
“What we have found is very true and very relevant.
“We have interviewed doctors and patients as recently as last week,” the former Chapman High School pupil said.
“The Eastern Cape has huge potential – it has many opportunities but it is constrained by corruption and cadre deployment.
“We must start by having a clean government and end corruption,” she said.
“We need to stand together, put our minds together and get off this dangerous course that we are on.” Domingo said while there were major challenges facing the country, they could be solved and GOOD had a plan.
“GOOD has proven solutions to fix these problems and we have proof of this,” Domingo said.
When De Lille, who is affectionately known as “Aunty Patty”, entered the hall, GOOD supporters clad in orange Tshirts shouted and screamed in excitement.
De Lille said she was not trying to rebuild her former party, the Independent Democrats, that merged with the DA a few years ago.
“We are a party for all South Africans,” De Lille said.
“It’s around the idea and not about who joins us.
“It’s people who support the idea that when good people do nothing, corruption and all of these things triumph.
“We have to mobilise all good people.”
De Lille said so far South Africans had not disappointed her and were coming out in their numbers to show their support for her new party.
De Lille said Domingo was the party’s preferred candidate, as she was familiar with the challenges facing the Eastern Cape, especially in the Bhisho government.
“We have an open bias towards women.
“I believe women must be given the opportunity to come and fight for the rights of other women,” De Lille said.
“[Domingo] is also capable, she has the experience, she is well known in Port Elizabeth, she has a clear record.”
The aim was to give women the opportunity to lead under her mentorship.