Action SA’s Mashaba takes tough stance on corruption, illegal immigration

The leader of South Africa’s newest political party, Action SA’s Herman Mashaba, has vowed to ban Zimbabwean leaders belonging to the governing Zanu-PF party from entering South Africa and freeze their assets in the country.

While he stood firm on illegal immigration, Mashaba said the Zimbabwean people must not be punished for what was happening in their country.

Instead he would target Zanu-PF leaders should his party come to power.

Mashaba made it clear that his party is not aiming to be the opposition because opposition had failed to unseat the ANC. Rather they were a “government in waiting”.

The new party was launched via social media by Mashaba under the slogan ‘Now is the time for Action’.

“We want to end illegal immigration, we stand firm on that. We have not met the expectations of our own citizens and we cannot afford the expectations of citizens from other countries. We want the people of the world to come here for holidays, to work legally and invest. They must obey the law once they are in South Africa, that is not negotiable,” Mashaba said.

Mashaba and his fellow party member, Funze Ngobeni, a former MMC for finance in Johannesburg City under Mashaba’s mayorship, said the time for dialogue is over and that it was now the time for action. They said people had enough of empty promises and corruption in the country.

Mashaba vowed his government would declare corruption “public enemy Number One” – something he said was non-negotiable.

Cadre deployment would be banned and appointments in the public sector would be based on merit and commitment.

“ I hate corruption with a passion,” Mashaba said.

He said his commitment to end corruption was demonstrated when he was the mayor of Johannesburg where he established an anti-corruption unit that investigated more than 6,000 cases of corruption to the value of R35 billion and made at least 800 arrests.

Under the Action SA government, those found guilty of gender based violence would be jailed and the “key thrown away”.

Political analyst, Professor Lesiba Teffo said Mashaba could be the hope that South Africans wanted because he had the potential to frustrate the status quo.

“Let’s hope he is the alternative we want. Maybe this could be the one (person) that brings back the voter who did not vote in previous elections.

“There comes a time when a liberation movement’s sell-by date has been reached and that time has come for South Africa,” Teffo said.

– ericn@citizen.co.za

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