Trouble in paradise for ActionSA!

Herman Mashaba (Action SA leader) at the launch of ActionSA's national manifesto at the Ellis Park Arena on March 23, 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Photo by Gallo Images

TROUBLE is brewing at ActionSA as the organisation faces a mass resignation of 22 North West-based members.

The members, who are also part of the Save North-West campaign and the party's Provincial Executive Committee (PEC), said they intend to resign from the party with immediate effect.

They claimed that the circumstances leading to their resignation were due to the party's intention to weed out members of this group and to threaten them with reminders or letters asking them to invoke certain clauses of the party's interim statutes and to terminate their membership.

They further alleged that their offence was that they, the Save North West branch of Save ActionSA at the national level, requested a meeting with the North West Provincial Chairperson, Kwena Mangope, to discuss governance issues, the outcome in the 2024 North West elections, his dictatorial tendencies and the sacking of senior politicians/former PEC members from the province.

“The Save North campaign's requests for meetings with Mangope, party leader Herman Mashaba, national leader Michael Beaumont and the Senate were all unsuccessful, despite us following all protocol.

“As members, we have observed a trend where some leaders are rejecting and disregarding the interim constitution they are trying to impose,” said one of the members, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of his safety.

ALSO READ: Sangoma Power: Thugs bring back stolen goods!

He further mentioned that while they were disappointed that the party's top leadership had chosen not to investigate the allegations or to approve its preferred motion of no confidence (MONC) against Mangope, they would waste no time in providing reasons to the Chairman of the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee, Alistair Shaw, why the Senate should not terminate her membership.

They said they would rather go on their own and leave the party.

“We wish to place this on record and exercise our right to resign from ActionSA and sever our ties with the party as we believe that the party is more concerned with protecting the privileges and friendships of certain individuals than with pursuing an overarching agenda which is to grow the party and fix South Africa.

“Our withdrawal from the party will take immediate effect today, Wednesday, August 21, 2024. We will not give up our right to exercise our hard-won rights to freedom of expression, association and choice,” the members said.

In response, ActionSA spokesman Sam Mgobozi said: “We are aware of the situation and are following proper procedures.”