Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA is chasing a 70% branch threshold nationwide to hold its first-ever elective congress this year.
The party interim constitution stipulates, among others, that each branch must have a minimum of 26 members.
The party wants all nine provinces to participate
Party chairperson Michael Beaumont told Sunday World they don’t want a conference that does not involve members from all nine provinces.
“We have two competing parts of the constitution: one-part states that the conference should be this year, as well as ensuring that we need to have our branches having a threshold. Our constitution requires a certain threshold of branches to be established to prevent a situation in which an elective conference of a national nature is being dictated by a single province. That is the focus of the organisation,” he said.
Requirements for election are being worked out
The Action SA senate is working on rules and procedures to guide the election of leaders. It expects to complete this by the end of March. So far, it has discussed the requirements for any member who wishes to contest for a position. Length of membership, reputation, and track record will likely be considered, said Beaumont.
“There have been discussions before about having a track record of leadership. It cannot be that people who do not have a track record can stand to be the president of the party without this. This has not been finalised yet, so we are going to need space to deal with this,” he reiterated.
Anyone interested in contesting a position will also have to complete the ActionSA academy training programme. “It teaches people about key issues in the country, our history as a party, and the origin of Herman Mashaba as the mayor of Johannesburg because you have to have that common understanding,” he said.
ActionSA has new deputy president
To beef up its ranks, ActionSA recently merged with the civic political party Forum4Service Delivery (F4SD). F4SD leader Mbahare Kekana was appointed ActionSA deputy president.
Kekana’s party has a significant footprint in the North West and has become a formidable competitor in local government. It amassed 31 council seats in the 2016 municipal elections and increased this to 39 in 2021.
ActionSA is also to embark on talks with Build One South Africa’s Mmusi Maimane and Rise Mzansi’s Songezo Zibi. This is to find a way all can work together but Beaumont felt it is still “early days” to elaborate.
“We need to be clear about this and say that it is not only about people falling under the ActionSA banner. But we are also open-minded to a variety of options that are available. We are not going to approach these discussions like a big brother. We have been in arrangements like that, and they did not work for exactly that reason. We will go into this with humility,” he said.
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