One SA Movement was founded by former DA leader, Mmusi Maimane who insists the entity is not a political party but a civic movement.

The movement intends to support, train, equip and campaign for OSA endorsed independent candidates in wards and municipalities throughout the country.

In a short video sent over Twitter, Maimane said the following: “It’s important to realise, all over the world, movements are starting, ways to be able to mobilise all of society together around a common goal. Those values for us as the One South Africa movement are values of an inclusive economy, a value of a future for South Africa, a value where our government is accountable through direct election and electoral reform, values where ultimately all of us can focus on ensuring that all citizens can prosper together and live together peacefully”.

Maimane added that his organisation was training various groups of independents in communities across the country to stand as candidates in the upcoming local government elections. Maimane said that this was an effort to give power back to the people. Maimane introduced a cohort of independents under the banner of the citizen-led New Horizon Movement to the media on Wednesday, 15 September 2021. They will be running in 34 wards in the Emfuleni Municipality. Maimane added that the independents’ groups will use section 15A of the Electoral Act, which allows an organisation to run for elections, without being registered as a traditional political party. Section 15A of the Electoral Act also allows independents to register as a conglomerate to gain the benefit of the proportional representation vote.

‘These are people from the community, located close to the community and will remain in the community because at the end of the day if you don’t have a New Horizon Movement as we have it you end up in a scenario where independents have been allowed to stand in this country for a long time in local government the problem is that when they have won there is no way to hold them accountable what we are saying is that we want accountability to operate locally with New Horizon Movement, NHM will never be in charge of what happens in another local they are only dealing with here they are dealing with the community from here,” Maimane said at the event.