Mashaba says ActionSA replaced ANC as the hope of ‘black’ South Africans, as coalition talks continue
· Citizen
ActionSA president Herman Mashaba says ActionSA is the new hope of black people in South Africa.
Visit sport-tr.bet for more information.
This after his party dipped into the ANC’s constituency in most townships across the province in the recent local government elections.
Mashaba told The Citizen that the ANC was the hope of black people before 1994, but claimed the party had betrayed its constituency.
“ActionSA is a party that is going to bring back dignity to all black people. For centuries, black people were left off the table. What we are saying now is that we need them at the table. Our people thought that the ANC was going to help them achieve this, but the ANC betrayed us,” he said.
This week, he told ActionSA supporters on social media that his party is “bigger than the ANC in Soweto”.
Mashaba added that ActionSA believes in a united South Africa and wants to bridge the gap between black people and white people in the country.
Coalition talks with the ANC
Despite his opinion of the ANC, Mashaba said he would lean more towards a coalition with them in municipalities.
“If you want an unstable relationship, work with the DA. They have a superior logic problem,” he said.
Mashaba said his party has already begun coalition talks with the ANC leadership, but nothing has been concluded yet. The hope is that a plan can be agreed by the end of the week, before formal approval is given.
An ultimatum for the DA
The DA is currently the leading party in Johannesburg by vote share. It received 34.79%, the ANC received 20.25%, and ActionSA came in third with 16.27%. Any coalition between the ANC and ActionSA will also need several smaller parties to join.
The Citizen understands that some DA members have advocated working with the ANC, arguing it could be more stable than working with ActionSA, since such an arrangement would not require additional parties to reach a majority in council.
Mashaba said he was open to working with the DA but had given the party an ultimatum before talks could start. The first is to remove Helen Zille from Johannesburg, and the second is to remove Cilliers Brink from leadership in the City of Tshwane.
“I cannot justify taking the votes I got from black people and taking them to racists,” he said.
He said his relationship with Zille has broken down to the point that he told her at a public gathering that she should never talk to him “for the rest of her life”.
He said when he was a DA mayor in Johannesburg, the party had treated him like “a boy”.
“I am a man now; I am not a boy. It is very hard to negotiate with people who think that way,” he said.
Tshwane and beyond
Mashaba said ActionSA’s current coalition with the ANC and EFF in Tshwane was a success and he is proud of the work that Mayor Nasiphi Moya has done in the metro.
“Nasiphi has demonstrated what ActionSA can do when we are in power, and I am proud of her,” he said.
ANC courting ActionSA
And the ANC may be courting ActionSA too.
The Sunday Times reported on Wednesday that President Cyril Ramaphosa had told the ANC’s national working committee (NWC) to explore coalition options that do not include the DA.
Ramaphosa’s line on the negotiations could be backed by the party’s national executive committee (NEC) when it meets on Thursday to discuss the election outcomes.
It is understood that while much of the party’s leadership in Gauteng favours working with ActionSA across the province, others are hesitant to work with a party they see as a serious threat to their electoral base.
Mbeki appeals for reflection on ANC decline
Former ANC president Thabo Mbeki, in a recent podcast with Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, said the ANC must analyse what led to the party’s decline in the local government elections.
“Leadership is elected for a full term. And in this term, we have had our own ups and downs, in particular, the last election and this election. It requires deep reflection by the leadership of the ANC,” he said.