Herman Mashaba resigns as City of Joburg councillor

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has confirmed his resignation as councillor in the City of Johannesburg.

Mashaba issued his letter of resignation on Sunday, and will be stepping back from 28 February. 

He said following the formation of coalition governments in Gauteng after the 2021 local government elections, he wanted to oversee getting ActionSA set in the council. 

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“Now that ActionSA’s caucus is settled and our MMCs are actively pursuing programmes of service delivery in Johannesburg, it is time for me to step back and allow someone else the opportunity to gain this critical local government experience,” Mashaba said. 

Another reason for his resignation as councillor is to travel across the country to expand the party. 

“My council seat should be filled by someone who is fully available to the needs of the residents of Johannesburg.” 

He assured Johannesburg supporters he was still “deeply invested” in the multi-party coalition, and will abide by this to “ensure stable and effective government that places the needs of residents first”. 

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Ructions in ActionSA

Insiders told The Citizen there had been discontent within the party since the local government elections. 

 “The tension in ActionSA Tshwane started before the election, where positions were given, taken away and many have believed there is an element of jobs or positions for pals in the composition of the list,” the source revealed.

“It was not dissimilar to a demand of cadre deployment.” 

Video footage depicted chaos erupting in Tshwane on Saturday, with a physical altercation between a small number of ActionSA members during a meeting. 

An internal investigation has since been launched, ActionSA’s Michael Beumont said. 

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 In November 2021, Soweto party members cited a jobs-for-pals scenario and petitioned party leader Herman Mashaba.

Members accused the party of using them for vote gain but playing favourites with candidate selection. A petition was included, demanding a response within 24 hours.

Beaumont said at the time the party did not negotiate in bad faith, and felt the disgruntled members may not have South Africa’s best interests at heart, or that of ActionSA.

Compiled by Nica Richards. Additional reporting by Hein Kaiser.