SA’s political terrain is well established, and recent history shows it is not easy to enter the space. We have seen the formation of many a movement or new political party, but in the end most fail.

So what are Herman Mashaba and Mmusi Maimane going to do differently? Mashaba, after resigning as Johannesburg mayor and DA member last year, did not waste time setting up a non-governmental organisation (NGO) called People’s Dialogue, with the idea of eventually starting a political party to contest next year’s local government elections. ..