The DA’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate, Helen Zille, has welcomed former ActionSA members who have now joined her party.
Zille described the showcase as a significant political development as she reportedly ushered in about 50 new members.
“Five branches of ActionSA have come to the DA. I’m sure Mandla did not always like the DA — if he always liked the DA, he would have been a member from the beginning. But the DA grows on you. When you work in the DA, know the DA and experience the internal democracy, it grows on you, and many times people have to be in different parties before they realise the value and the importance of the DA.
“I was in that space myself in the 1980s and I also migrated from that space to the DA, and I’ve been here for decades and decades,” Zille said.
Former ActionSA councillor in Johannesburg Mandla Nyaqela was one of those who abandoned their erstwhile political home.
Addressing DA party supporters, he accused Herman Mashaba’s party of being a cult.
“This was from witnessing this dictatorship from the leadership of ActionSA, especially the president. That organisation is a one-man show where no one else has a say. The buck always stops with Mashaba.”
He said his new political pursuit would be different in that the rules of engagement were clearer.
“With the DA, there is democracy, there is engagement and, most importantly, conferences. … Action SA has never been to any elective conference since its inception. In fact, that is the one thing that they are running away from. They are all appointees who want to remain traditional leaders throughout.”
Despite Nyaqela disclosing that the negotiations that facilitated the move began three months ago, his former party released a damning statement, alleging that Nyaqela’s exit followed disciplinary action instituted against him.
Johannesburg ActionSA caucus spokesperson Cannedy Netshitungulu said the party welcomed his “timely departure”.
“This follows ongoing performance management reviews, which included disciplinary processes before the party. ActionSA has demonstrated that it will not retain underperforming public representatives because we respect the mandate given by residents for hard-working, accountable community representation, and where even the most basic expectations are not met, we have not hesitated to act.”
In fact, Mashaba’s party thanked the DA for relieving it from the trouble of a lengthy disciplinary process.
“This also provides the perfect opportunity to shortly introduce an exceptional, committed community activist into council.”
Nyaqela said the claims were false.
“They are hitting below the belt and are stooping low, actually. It is a lie that I was facing disciplinary action for underperforming. I launched my branch with more than 100 members; I was the first one. Mashaba was present. I resigned this morning and Mashaba received my resignation. So this is a clear counterattack.”
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