ActionSA has announced that two independent political parties have joined hands with it in its green umbrella project patronage with the aim of beefing up its electoral campaign for the upcoming local government elections. The two parties are the Azanian Independent Community Movement and the Creatives Congress Movement.
The president of ActionSA, Herman Mashaba, said that when his party was launched in 2020, its vision was aimed at building a political vehicle party that would represent all South Africans, from rural communities and townships to urban centres.
Growth in rural, urban communities
“We built this party on that vision because we understand that fixing South Africa would be impossible if we confined ourselves to speaking to certain communities at the exclusion of others.
“Over the past five years, we have invested heavily in this principle. Looking back on our work today, I am proud of what we have achieved. ActionSA’s trajectory is now defined by exceptional growth in both rural communities and urban centres,” said Mashaba.
He added that the proof of this was the first by-election victory in Ward 7 in Ramotshere Moiloa Municipality in the North West in October last year. There, ActionSA unseated the ANC in their historic rural stronghold.
“While in the heart of the City in Johannesburg, Ward 130, ActionSA nearly tripled its support to 22.66%. This placed us second only behind the ANC, and we beat both MK and the EFF.
“Our victory in Ward 7 relied on a simple strategy that brings us to why we are here today. [Through] uniting and consolidation of opposition political parties rooted in communities. These parties, despite not having a broad national footprint, are often the most in touch with local needs. And are best placed to fight for the interests of their communities,” he said.
Mashaba said that for decades, communities in South Africa have endured a system broken by failed established political parties that are either “incompetent, corrupt, trade in broken promises, or guilty of all of the above”.
Uniting diverse group of political parties
“To bring an end to this sickness, ActionSA has made it clear that our focus is on uniting a diverse group of political parties under our Green Umbrella Project. This is … where, under a single banner, we are giving communities a unified voice and a real chance for change.
“The residents of Ward 7 have shown that ActionSA’s mission is indeed working. The mission to provide South Africans across failing municipalities the opportunity to choose a different path. Through our Green Umbrella Project, ActionSA has grown from 91 public representatives to 141 represented across South Africa,” he said.
Mashaba said he was pleased that ActionSA will be joined by the two parties. He added that this is a partnership that will strengthen the footprint of his party.
