Hope Ntanzi|Published
Former ANC MP Boy Mamobolo has vowed to push the ANC below 50% in Polokwane in the November 4 local government elections, saying his new party, Born to Win, would address water shortages, potholes and poor infrastructure in communities.
Mamabolo made the pledge while campaigning in Makotopong, a village outside Polokwane’s central business district, where he accused the ANC of failing to address residents’ long-standing service delivery problems.
“The people here are sharing water with animals,” Mamabolo told Newsroom Afrika.
He said the village had more than 10,000 people who relied on a single reservoir, yet residents still did not have running water in their taps.
“Even now, as we speak, they do not have water running from their taps,” he said.
Mamabolo promised that Born to Win would bring electricity, working streetlights and improved roads to the area.
“So we are going to bring back dignity into the people of Makotopong.”
Mamobolo says ANC ignored community concerns
Mamabolo resigned from the ANC in September 2025 after nearly three decades in the party, accusing it of internal abuse, marginalisation and efforts to discredit him.
In his resignation, he said he could “no longer endure the abuse” he claimed to have experienced within the organisation
He subsequently launched Born to Win after an earlier attempt to establish a party called Mandela for President ran into registration difficulties with the Electoral Commission of South Africa.
During his campaign, Mamabolo said he had raised community concerns while still in the ANC but felt they were not acted on.
“You go to parliament, you raise issues in the portfolio committee, when they’re supposed to be implemented, they get new stories, they shift the goalposts,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we’re not listened to.”
He said establishing his own party would allow him to make decisions independently.
“Now we are independent. We are running our own political party where we are taking decisions. No one can come and amend our decisions,” he said.
Mamabolo also claimed the ANC had become less visible in townships and the Polokwane city centre, arguing that it relied more heavily on rural voters.
“The ANC is no longer visible there,” he said. “It’s actually dead. Even the city centre in the CBD is dead.”
Born to Win open to coalition talks
Mamabolo acknowledged the challenge of building support for a new party in Limpopo but said he was confident Born to Win could reduce the ANC’s support in Polokwane.
“We are confident that we are going to put the ANC below 50% here in Polokwane,” he said.
He said the party would be willing to work with other political parties to form a council, but ruled out helping the ANC retain power through a coalition agreement.
“We are going to work with other political parties. We are not going to be difficult in constituting a consensus, but we are going to constitute without the ANC,” he said.
Mamabolo argued that allowing the ANC to retain power through the back door would enable corruption to continue.
“If you give the ANC power through backdoor, they continue to be corrupt,” he said.
His campaign comes ahead of the November 4 local government elections, with the party seeking to turn its promises on service delivery into support at the polls.
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za
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