Bongani Baloyi ditches ActionSA, accuses party of throwing him under the bus

Bongani Baloyi, former ActionSA Gauteng leader and Midvaal mayor, is the latest senior official to leave the party after an alleged conflict with leader Herman Mashaba. Baloyi announced his resignation on Monday after a meeting with the party’s leadership.

The party announced on Sunday there were “irreconcilable differences on the running of the provincial structures and a difference of opinion about policy issues”.

Baloyi was offered the national spokesperson’s role after the party announced it was not happy with how he was running the Gauteng province. He said he declined because Mashaba had publicly said there were “differences” between him and the party.

Baloyi ‘thrown under the bus’

“I was told we have irreconcilable differences and I do not trust you any longer. We have never sat down with him to tell me I have the following issue with you. We have never had any conversation to resolve any issues. That only happened with Michael Beaumont (ActionSA chair),” he said.

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“I must also correct that there are no irreconcilable differences with national leadership. Mashaba said he had irreconcilable differences with me, which I do not know about.”

He also accused the party of throwing him under the bus for being instrumental in advocating the party work with the ANC. He claimed Beaumont was the one who convinced Mashaba to work with the ANC because there was a potential they would lead one of the metros in Gauteng.

“I was excited because I wanted the stability of metros. There was an agreement by Mashaba that we must pursue conversations that would be led by the chair. Mashaba wrote to the senate [ActionSA’s highest decision-making body] that he endorses what Beaumont and I were doing,” he said.

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“He [Mashaba] was happy we would be able to co-govern and that is what he consented to and gave us the mandate to do. Unfortunately, there’s thinking that it’s Bongani – and I’m upset about it,” Baloyi said, referring to himself in the third person.

“Now it was Bongani who was working with the ANC behind Mashaba’s back and no-one defended me.”

‘Serious challenges and weaknesses’

On allegations that what Mashaba says, goes in the party, Baloyi said there were still serious challenges and weaknesses.

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“They need to grow from an individual to a party and an institution.”

Following his resignation and the axing of former councillor Nkele Molapo, Baloyi said he did not know if more people would follow.

– lungam@citizen.co.za