Mashaba denies rumours of feud between ActionSA leaders over City of Tshwane

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has denied rumours of a feud between himself and the chairperson of the party Michael Beaumont over the coalition arrangement in the City of Tshwane.

This comes after Bongani Baloyi, a former member of the party, told politics podcast host Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh over the weekend that there was tension between the leaders of the party over their working relationship with the ANC in Gauteng.

‘No divisions over Tshwane’

In the interview, Baloyi said the reason ActionSA was pursuing a governing arrangement with the ANC in the metros in Gauteng was to punish the DA for backstabbing them with the multi-party charter that fell apart.

ALSO READ: DA warns ActionSA not to bring the EFF into government in Tshwane

Baloyi said Beaumont, on the other hand, wanted to continue working with the DA.

Mashaba dismissed these claims.

“There are no factions inside ActionSA. If anyone says there is a difference of opinion, it’s their opinion and not ActionSA’s,” he said.

Mashaba said the party would soon make an announcement on its review process of the coalition in Tshwane.

Controversy over EFF partnership

Mashaba said ActionSA is an independent party and would decide who to partner with in a new coalition arrangement.

This comes after accusations from the DA that ActionSA was trying to sneak the EFF into Tshwane’s governing structures.

“It’s none of the DA’s business who we decide to coalesce with, as we do not prescribe who they must go into a coalition with. So, if they don’t like what we’re doing, tough luck,” he said.

Mayor of Tshwane Cilliers Brink faces a motion of no confidence on 26 September.

Mashaba said his party would make an announcement before then on what position ActionSA will take on this.

DA gives up on ActionSA

Meanwhile, in a statement released on Wednesday, the DA caucus in Tshwane said it was no longer relying on ActionSA as a stable coalition partner.

“While Beaumont said the party is still reviewing its continuing participation in the Tshwane coalition, Mashaba has already made it clear that ActionSA would prefer to have the EFF as a coalition partner,” DA caucus spokesperson Kwena Moloto said.

Moloto said it was clear what direction ActionSA will take in the motion of no confidence vote.

“ActionSA intends to vote in favour of a motion of no confidence against Brink whenever such a motion is tabled,” he said.

Moloto said the DA had also noticed a social media post by ActionSA’s Tshwane caucus leader Jackie Mathabathe, under the name Mjekana Mjekana, which stated: “The days of white monopoly in Tshwane are numbered. As the clock ticks down, the racists and DA puppets may howl in desperation, but their time is up.”