ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says ties with the Democratic Alliance (DA) cost the party significantly in the 2024 national elections.

He revealed that many black South Africans were alienated by the association and saw ActionSA as “DA light”.

Reflecting on the party’s five-year journey since its launch in August 2020, Mashaba told the SABC that while ActionSA had made considerable strides, including gaining six seats in Parliament and over 140 councillors, it had also made serious strategic missteps.

“The mistake I believe we made as a party was to overstretch ourselves to really go to all the provinces all at the same time. I think we really overstretched ourselves,” Mashaba said.

He acknowledged that the party’s rapid expansion diluted its campaign effectiveness, but noted that even so, “we ended up with six members of Parliament. For the first time, a new political party at the time, three and a half years old. We are now represented in the National Assembly.”

Mashaba was also frank about the impact of the Moonshot Pact, a multi-party coalition formed ahead of the elections to challenge the ANC. While the pact was intended to unite opposition parties, he now concedes it had the opposite effect on ActionSA’s support base.

“Do I regret it? At the time, to really be fair, South Africans are looking for consolidation of political parties. Unfortunately, because of the double dealings of the DA, that’s what personally I was uncomfortable with,” he said.

“Unfortunately, I did not realise how deep black voters are scared of DA. In our association with DA, they thought probably we’re a DA light.”

Mashaba also revealed that this misstep not only cost ActionSA votes but also delayed potential partnerships with smaller parties.

“Dr Kekana himself said he wanted to have spoken to me before the elections to join Action, but he was concerned about our relationship with the DA.”

The post-election period has seen ActionSA expand its influence, particularly in the North West province where a recent partnership with the Forum for Service Delivery brought 36 councillors under its banner.

“Just in the North West, we’ve got 22 councillors,” Mashaba said, with by-elections set to test this growth in the coming months.

Despite previously stating that he would never work with the ANC, “over my dead body”,  Mashaba confirmed that ActionSA had, in certain municipalities, worked alongside the party.

He insists, however, that the party holds its coalition partners to account, citing ActionSA’s withdrawal of support for Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero due to what Mashaba described as a lack of responsiveness to community needs.

“In the city of Johannesburg, two months into working with Dada Morero, I immediately brought my concerns to the ANC. Unfortunately for us as ActionSA, we are not just voting cattle. We are ethical leaders, and we’re glad that we’re out of this arrangement.”

“We don’t want to be contaminated with things that are not really for South Africa,” he said. 

He also took a swipe at DA’s federal council chairperson Helen Zille referencing her recent suggestion that she could lead Johannesburg if the DA took control of the city.

While he did not comment directly on her remarks, Mashaba made it clear that ActionSA’s focus is on ethical leadership and service delivery, especially in black communities, something he accuses the DA of resisting during his time as mayor of Johannesburg.

“We tried to engage the DA. We said we’ll give you our vote, but want service delivery in the townships and black areas,” Mashaba said.

“They did not really want me to provide services to poor black communities.”

He says that tension ultimately gave birth to ActionSA, a party that is now positioning itself as a credible alternative for voters ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za

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