ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba vows that in the three years that he was the DA’s Joburg mayor, not once did the EFF ever discuss a tender with him, but the DA did.
Mashaba also linked controversial businessman Edwin Sodi to the DA, saying he received a questionable water treatment plant refurbishment contract in a deal that was R40-million more expensive.
“The EFF never consulted me on any tender, but I cannot say the same thing of the DA,” Mashaba said in an upcoming episode of Sunday World Engage that is yet to be scheduled.
Since his resignation as Joburg mayor in 2019, the popular narrative has been that he had a working relationship with the EFF, which was allegedly anchored on rewarding associates of the red berets with lucrative procurement contracts.
After dumping the DA, Mashaba formed ActionSA.
He said the DA only pretends to be “clean”, but it was the worst offender.
DA did not want corrupt officials fired
When he decided to fire three party members of the mayoral committee who were implicated in corruption, he said, the party protected them and kept them as councillors.
“After I fired this person when they refused, they still kept this man as a councillor. They knew I could not fire him as a councillor.”
Regarding the second councillor, he said: “When I gave them proof of corruption, I said to them, two things are going to happen.
“If you do not allow me to fire this man, I’m stepping aside, and I will let South Africa know why I’m stepping aside, because the DA does not want me to fire someone implicated in corruption. They still kept him as well.
“These are things that, for me, are contradictions for a political party that is committed to fighting corruption. Probably they are just committed to fighting the corruption of the ANC.”
He said these are the things that should be exposed to the public and civil society to ensure that they are not vulnerable to DA propaganda.
“The DA and all South Africans must understand that you cannot just replace ANC corruption with another corruption. ActionSA is not going to cover for you if you work with us.
“We are not going to cover for you because we are in a coalition. We are not prepared to bring down the ANC and continue with ANC corruption tendencies.
“I did not go into politics to make money, but to serve my country. My family can afford to support me, and I have no reason to support corruption.”
The DA did not respond to questions sent last week.
In the same Sunday World Engage interview, Mashaba accused both the DA and the ANC of “secretly” conniving in 2019 to remove him as Joburg mayor, which led to his resignation.
