ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has confirmed that his party will officially get a political divorce come 26 September 2024.
This is the day on which a motion of no confidence in incumbent Mayor Cilliers Brink is set to be tabled in the chambers of the City of Tshwane Municipal Council.
“We have agreed as the Senate of ActionSA that come the 26 of September we are getting out of this arrangement with the DA because it has really been a toxic relationship which we can’t stand any longer,” he said.
Mashaba said this while addressing the media at ActionSA’s Imbizo held in Saulsville, Tshwane on Saturday afternoon.
“However, negotiations are only going to begin in the coming days with other parties and two things will happen, namely that we would agree with other parties to form a new government in Tshwane or failing that, we as ActionSA will be happy to occupy the opposition benches in the chambers of the City of Tshwane Municipal Council,” explained Mashaba.
“We are obviously prepared to work with any party that takes service delivery seriously and declare corruption public enemy number one,” said Mashaba.
“We must get into Tshwane government with the purpose of serving our people and not protect anyone who is involved in corruption,” enthused Mashaba.
“We are part of the coalition in Tshwane as ActionSA but we have raised our concerns that the relationship is toxic,” he said.
Mashaba then referred to the 15-hour Council meeting on 14 February 2023 which “culminated in the DA members in the Council chambers deliberately spoiling their votes when they were supposed to vote for ActionSA candidate as Speaker of Council, and ActionSA lost the vote for the Speaker of Tshwane to a candidate proposed by the ANC/ EFF alliance.”.
He further said the DA has since never shown interest to work with ActionSA in reversing the results of the Speaker of Council to allow ActionSA to rightfully occupy that position.
“Once we have concluded negotiations with other parties regarding the motion of no confidence issue, we will show the performance of the City of Tshwane; their financial stability and service delivery failures,” he said.
Mashaba emphasised his dislike for corruption and revealed that during his tenure as City of Joburg Mayor he uncovered a R35 billion fraud and corruption case involving senior people in that City’s administration.
He said they will hold whoever they enter into a coalition with accountable and also expect such parties to hold ActionSA accountable so as to get rid of corruption.
Mashaba also revealed that he won’t be going to work as an MP of his party in Parliament and that he would contribute better for the party at a strategic level.
He added that he was not really born to go and be a Parliamentarian and that at the age of 65 he would rather have someone younger lead the party in Parliament and become President eventually.
Mashaba said should ActionSA be offered the mayorship position then it will put forward someone with integrity.
Meanwhile, the party’s provincial leader in Gauteng Funzi Ngobeni and several supporters of the party have urged Mashaba to go to Parliament, get into the Government of National Unity and become Minister of Home Affairs.
This as the current Minister is doing nothing regarding the issue of dealing with illegal foreigners.