It has been five years since ActionSA was launched and took the South African political space by storm.
Born out of The People’s Dialogue, which was an online engagement with South Africans, the party rose to prominence and mainstream politics in response to a public call for a new party grounded in principle and shared values.
The party was launched on August 29, 2020 while the country was under hard lockdown due to Covid-19. It was launched with not much spectacle and no massive rally organised. ActionSA came into existence through a live studio broadcast in Auckland Park, Johannesburg.
Party on the rise
The party rose to prominence after being formed by the businessman Herman Mashaba. He is its current president, and has since grown it in leaps and bounds on the political arena.
ActionSA contested its first elections in 2021. The party had contested in six out of the 278 municipalities across the country. And through its strategic campaigns, the organisation emerged as one of the most powerful political parties in South Africa.
Mashaba said: “We celebrate this milestone for a young political party not with elaborate parties or celebrations. But with reflection on the growing and respectable record of the positive impact ActionSA has made in South Africa in just five years. With much more still to come as we continue to deliver on our promise of action.”
He added that during its early days as an infant political party, ActionSA held its own independent Commission of Enquiry. It looked into the failures of the City of Tshwane under previous administrations. The focus was on the failure to resolve the Hammanskraal water crisis.
Milestones
“We litigated during the worst stages of load shedding and secured a major victory against Eskom. This with a ruling that schools, hospitals and police stations may not be subjected to load shedding. From the beginning, we took up the fight for forgotten communities. Such as the Lily Mine families who were abandoned by an uncaring government. This fight continues in earnest today. And it will not cease until justice is delivered,” said Mashaba.
He pointed out that the party had launched a campaign called The South African Dream. Its mission is to present the first hopeful and positive vision for South Africans to aspire to.
“Our 2023 policy conference established clear water between us and other political parties. This by producing policies that were rational, evidence-based and that spoke to the realities of every South African family,” he said.
He also pointed out that ActionSA’s 2024 campaign did not produce the election outcome the party had hoped for. However, Mashaba said that the organisation had shown resilience and commitment. Its hardworking volunteers and activists pushed hard to get the political party six seats in parliament.
