Johannesburg – Former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba’s party, ActionSA, got off to a strong start in the race to win the country’s economic hub, Johannesburg, at this year’s local government elections.
This is according to the first batch of votes which started trickling last night, during an election characterized by lower voter turnout.
As of this morning, with 18% of votes counted, Mashaba’s party, a new kid on the block, was seated at third position.
The ANC was leading the pack with 35.14%, (9,020 votes), followed by the DA at 23.29% (4,929 votes). ActionSA is holding a third position with 19.2% (4,929 votes).
Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters is lagging behind Mashaba in the fourth position, with 13.59% (3,488 votes).
Mashaba’s campaign has been centered on two issues: corruption and immigration.
The businessman-cum-politician was likely to form a coalition with the EFF should he emerge strong. Mashaba, if the first batch of votes were anything to go by, looked set to be a kingmaker on who would rule Johannesburg.
The DA and the EFF entered into a coalition after 2016 local elections, during which the ANC was relegated to opposition benches.
The official opposition forced Mashaba out of the party due to his closeness with the EFF.
At his final rally on Thursday, Mashaba said his party would remove corrupt failing governments.
“The ANC is a criminal syndicate, not a political party, that attempted to fool us all with the idea that Cyril Ramaphosa would change our country with his New Dawn,” he said.
The former DA leader said during his tenure as City’s number one citizen, he provided electricity to households that previously didn’t have power.
“Houses were built, and title deeds provided to people who had only ever lived in a shack, and security guards were given the dignity of proper conditions of service, with a decent salary, along with all the benefits of full-time employment,” said Mashaba.
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