Jimmy Carter said: "We have become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different dreams."

South Africa is no exception. Aside from the usual suspects dominating our political landscape, there is a plethora of political parties mushrooming on various stoeps and in suburbs whose views range from mainstream to the downright bizarre.

While most of these parties will never be placed before South Africans on the ballot paper, they nevertheless provide alternative ideas as well as insight into the personalities behind them.

The Abolition of Income Tax and Usury Party proposes a policy of radical monetary reform with the establishment of a state bank, said founder Steven Goodson.

This reserve bank would then issue all South Africa's credit, free of interest, allow the abolition of personal income tax, a decrease in value added tax and an expansion of social upliftment programs.

Outlaw secret societies

Ja right. The party will also outlaw secret societies.

The Freedom Power Party, newly formed and hoping to contest the election for the first time this year, provides a detailed comparison of the events leading up to Zimbabwe's fall, drawing succinct parallels with events occurring in South Africa over the last 15 years.

Zimbabwe: "The liberation movement Zanu-PF won the democratic election in 1980 and ruled the country until today," its website reads.

South Africa: "The liberation movement ANC won the democratic elections in 1994 and ruled the country until today."

It continues.

Zimbabwe: "The liberation leaders started blaming each other for lack of delivery and corruption, divisions started and MDC was formed."

South Africa: "The liberation leaders started blaming each other for lack of delivery and corruption, divisions started and Cope [Congress of the People] was formed."

Answers in German

Party leader, Thembinkosi Masinga, could not be reached to provide further insight. Attempts to reach him were met by an answering service, in German.

Eighty six-year-old Solomon Schkolne, of the Merit Party, would love to share his views of a "merit-based" society with the South African people but the "illustrious press" refuse to write about his 250-paged, fine print novel in which he details his proposal.

Schkolne said his book details how South Africa should be a merit-based and not a race-based society, and argues that the demon at the root of all its problems at present is affirmative action.

"I have tried to reason in my book, which is 250 pages in small print, that the central issue is whether you make merit or colour a measure.

"I argue in my book that affirmative action as directed and enabled by the holy, rolly [sic] national Constitution is the root cause of the problem... but I do think its a beautiful Constitution," he said.

Schkolne believes focusing on colour corrupts. He, however, will not be taking part in the election.

"The reason I can't take part in the election is no one knows about it [his book] and no-one knows about it because our illustrious press won't write about it," he said.

My copy is in the post.

The Right Party advocates the "complete separation of all ethnic groups".

"Take the blacks, they have Soweto, the Indians have Chatsworth, the coloureds have the Cape Flats, what do the whites have?" said party leader George Sinclair.

He may not be in the position to run in the upcoming election due to the hefty registration deposit of R540,000 required by the Independent Electoral Commission. Some may be grateful for this.

This was the reason many smaller parties said they were unable to contest the elections.

The Ecopeace Party who have merged with a number of community organisations to form The Socialist Green Coalition said they will be submitting a petition to the IEC to reduce this amount.

Party spokesperson Alan Murphy said it would approach the IEC with the petition and if it failed, may go to the Electoral Court.

"Most of them are not real choices"

Centre for Policy Studies analyst Aubrey Matshiqi said it was healthy that South Africa had so many parties interested in contesting the election but added that "most of them are not real choices".

"Most represent a range of views and quality of policies that don't resonate with most voters," he said.

"In any democracy the tendency is that politics is dominated by a few strong parties... support is the key... fruitless expenditure must be avoided," he said.

Institute for Democracy in South Africa analyst Steven Friedman agreed , saying the IEC's deposit was "essential" as it protected the electorate.

"The most important people in an election are voters not parties... and how can voters make informed and intelligent choice when there are so many choices.

"Only those parties who are serious contenders should be on the ballot paper," he said.

The Moderate Independent Party leader Malcolm Taylor said his party was in the process of merging with the United Democratic Movement in order to overcome the monetary challenge and participate in the election.

Sapa

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