ActionSA says it will respect all coalition partners, irrespective of the number of seats, where it needs to form a coalition government. Party leader Herman Mashaba was in Cape Town where he announced the new provincial chairperson following the death of the previous incumbent Vytjie Mentor about two months ago.
Mashaba says they are aiming for the support of between 10 and 15% of the voters to be part of a coalition government in the Western Cape.
ActionSA says it draws support from all sections of South African society, irrespective of race and social standing. They say this is because the party is entrenched in issues of social justice and respect for the rule of law. As evidenced by its alleged 2.4 million members nationally, despite being the new kid on the block.
ActionSA aims to force the DA in the Western Cape into a coalition government after the 2024 general elections. It has set itself a target of getting the support of up to 15% of voters.
Video – ActionSA leader blames the DA for a collapse of coalition governments in Gauteng:
Michelle Wasserman, who is ActionSA chair in Western Cape, says, “I think we will definitely be challenging the da in the Western Cape, and our intention is to bringing them below 50%. So we are going to be in a coalition with them come 2024. But I don’t think we will be the majority government in the Western Cape and I think that’s realistic.”
The party stands for a free market economy, with the private sector driving the economy and says this is key to address abject poverty. Party leader Herman Mashaba says with coalition governments being the order of the day, cool heads are needed.
“You look at the coalition I led in Johannesburg, non-politician when I took over as a mayor, I did not have the slightest idea what the mayor does but I accepted the responsibilities, I respected all political parties that’s why my government when I was the was the mayor of the city of Johannesburg, was the most stable,” says Mashaba.
Video – ActionSA on the issue of coalitions and focus on Day for Disaster and Risk Reduction:
He says his party conducted a survey among 30-thousand respondents, on who to talk to in case of forming a coalition government. This comes after the collapse of the Johannesburg coalition.
“The people have spoken and said please don’t bring ANC near us. The parties that we would like to go into coalition with are the IFP was number 1 followed by the ACDP, followed by Freedom Front Plus, even UDM was number 4 and DA was number 5. People out there are watching. Once ActionSA can really be the party that can really be in charge of this coalition we will have the utmost respect for all the political parties,” Mashaba adds.
Mashaba says provincial leaders are selected on merit until the party’s elective conference, which will happen after the 2024 elections.
Video – Action SA launches its Eastern Cape structure in East London:
