ActionSA has opened talks with former MK Party Mpumalanga leader Mary Phadi as it bolsters its ranks ahead of the local government elections.
Phadi, who left the MKP after a bitter fallout, is being courted by multiple parties. ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont told Sunday World that discussions are underway with Phadi, who was recently spotted with party leader Herman Mashaba on March 3.
During the meeting, Mashaba gifted Phadi a copy of his book The Outsider, sparking speculation about her possible move to the party.
“We would be very fortunate to have someone of her standing as part of ActionSA,” Beaumont said. However, he added that he could not disclose the nature or progress of the discussions. Speaking to Sunday World, Phadi confirmed that she would meet Mashaba again tomorrow about her political future.
Phadi, who has been in talks with ActionSA since last year, said the scheduled meeting would focus on feedback following a proposal she presented to the party.
“Whether they accept it or whether they make me a better offer [is up to them]. We presented [it] to all other political parties, and not just them.”
Phadi said one of the key issues in her engagements with political parties was ensuring that her supporters would be accommodated should she join a new political home.
“When they come to me, they want me to join as an individual, and I have quite a number of people who are following me, and I cannot afford to leave them behind. It is not about me; it is about the masses,” she said.
“We have been engaging with different political parties and civil society organisations, and in total they are 21. Where we are sitting now is that this month we are finalising our engagements. We do not know which political party we are going to,” she said.
According to Phadi, discussions with the ANC, EFF and the MKP have not yielded progress. She also confirmed that she has ruled out forming her own political party despite pressure from supporters to do so.
Her potential political move follows a bitter fallout with the MKP leadership that led to her exiting the party’s provincial structures in Mpumalanga.
The fallout saw Phadi accuse elements within the party of undermining her leadership and dragging her name into internal controversies.
Phadi has also been embroiled in a series of legal battles and internal disputes within the MKP, including a public feud with the party’s parliamentary leader, Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
The tensions spilled into court after Phadi challenged decisions taken by the party’s national leadership that affected her position in Mpumalanga.
The dispute deepened as the two leaders traded accusations in public, with Phadi claiming she was being sidelined and unfairly targeted, while Mkhwebane and other MKP leaders defended the organisation’s internal processes.
“I am a very principled person, but people only see the Mary after the effect of what happened behind the curtain of MK. I had to respond because I could not have my name dragged into things.”
She added that while positions were not her main priority, any political party engaging her would have to recognise the national profile she has built.
“But obviously I am a national figure. I do not think that whoever comes will give me a position below that. It is they who will give me a position in the province as well as on the national executive committee.”
ActionSA has been on a recruitment drive ahead of the local government elections as it seeks to expand its national footprint. Among those who have joined the party is former television presenter and anti-crime activist Xolani Khumalo.
Phadi said the outcome of her engagements with various political organisations is expected to be finalised later this month, with a formal announcement planned for April 26.
