The time for talk is over, the era of action has begun

The launch of our new party, ActionSA, could not have taken place at a more necessary time in our country. Our economy is reeling, unemployment is expected to go above 50%, businesses are closing, trade unions have a veto right over our economic direction and emergency tenders for Covid-19 are looted with impunity.

While this is taking place, major political parties continue the powerful demonstration of their inadequacy to provide a way forward for SA.

There has never been a more urgent time to launch a new political party with a fresh approach to politics and broad appeal across the landscape.

This view is supported by the response to the launch, which has been, quite literally, overwhelming and speaks to the idea of the often unseen and unheard majority - the good, hard-working and law-abiding citizens of our country who have been silenced by our politics. These are the people I want to speak to as the work has now begun to provide a real alternative for our country.

There has never been a more urgent time to launch a new political party with a fresh approach to politics and broad appeal across the landscape

We stand, together with the majority of our people, for a nonracial future where every South African has equal and intrinsic value, no more and no less than any other. When I started my business at the age of 22, many people won't know that I partnered with a white Afrikaner from Boksburg and an Indian man from Laudium.

Despite the fact that in the mid-1980s it was illegal to do this, together we succeeded in building a successful business.

This is the dream I have for our country.

We stand, together with the majority in SA, for social justice, because we can never achieve a nonracial future when so many continue to live under the legacy of our unjust past.

We stand, together with the silent majority in SA, for jobs and economic prosperity, because no other objective for our country can be achieved when more than 10-million South Africans are locked out of economic opportunity.

We will lead the revitalisation of the South African economy through the clear, decisive and uncompromising implementation of sound policies that will deliver the promise of a prosperous and shared future. We will reform labour laws and end the stranglehold that trade unions have over our government. Trade unions are a key stakeholder, just like any other, but they will not have a veto over our economic destiny.

We stand uncompromisingly, together with the majority of South Africans, for the rule of law and a day when law-abiding citizens are safe and criminals live in fear.

This can only be accomplished when law enforcement agencies and the National Prosecuting Authority are able to ensure that when a crime is committed, somebody goes to jail. It has to be that simple.

We stand, together with the majority in SA, for an education revolution. We have to overhaul our education system, free our children from the grasp of teachers' union Sadtu, and design a new curriculum that provides a future for every child. We have to invest in more universities, training colleges, vocational schools and teachers' and nurses' colleges.

We stand, together with the majority in SA, for direct democracy - a system where voters directly vote for a president, MP and premier. While we fight for this change in legislation, we will live this value by choosing our candidates through electoral primaries. South Africans will register with us and vote for the candidate they believe will best serve their community. The successful candidates will emerge from these primaries and will be our candidates and, more importantly, your candidates, for election.

We stand, together with the majority in SA, for ethical leadership and absolute respect for public money. I fought corruption in Johannesburg with a professional forensic unit that investigated more than 6,000 cases, totalling over R35bn. We arrested more than 800 people and dismissed countless officials for wrongdoing. This is not difficult; it just needs political will.

We have worked and will continue to work with policemen and women, prosecutors, doctors, nurses, educators, business owners, farmers and countless other professions to develop our blueprints for SA.

I have assembled a leadership team around me that brings vast experience, skills and the kind of robust internal decision-making process that is required to grow. I attribute much of my business success to my insistence on surrounding myself with strong people who challenge the status quo, and this team will be no different.

Our national chair, Michael Beaumont, brings enormous campaign and party experience to the role. Funzi Ngobeni, our director of operations, has worked with ground structures and volunteers for years. Andre Coetzee, our chief strategist, brings policy, communications and governance experience to the table.

Lerato M-Ngobeni, our national spokesperson, is an experienced programme manager and sustainability specialist with private and NGO experience. Paul Boughey, former CEO of the DA, brings a wealth of knowledge about campaigns, policy, governance and fund-raising.

State capture whistleblower and former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor brings her immense experience, as does Dr Makhosi Khoza, whose skills and passion in education have led her to design a new system to teach mathematics based on the linguistic structures.

Former Joburg metro police chief David Tembe and a former Gauteng provincial commissioner in the South African Police Service, Lt Gen Deliwe de Lange, both contribute their vast experience in law enforcement. Finally, Vivien Law brings her business and agricultural knowledge to the team.

This is a strong team of people by any measure, and it is still growing.. They will now begin the work of taking our offer to the silent majority of South Africans, black and white, Indian and coloured, young and old, from the dusty towns to the bustling cities.

Our project is a national one - to unseat the ANC and put in place a new government in 2024, one that will put SA on the path to prosperity.

• Mashaba is president of ActionSA