Ayanda Allie will serve as ActionSA's election campaign ambassador in Gauteng.
New ActionSA member Ayanda Allie. Picture: Supplied / ActionSA
ActionSA has confirmed the political signing of an established face in South Africa’s current affairs sphere.
Build One South Africa’s loss was Herman Mashaba’s gain as he announced that Ayanda Allie would join his party less than 100 days before the 2026 local government elections.
Allie left Bosa last week following the outcome of a disciplinary process allegedly involving party-related fees and payments.
‘Surreal’ moment for Allie
A triumphant Allie beamed as she expressed her gratitude for the fresh start.
“I don’t want to dwell on the past, colleagues. I don’t want to resuscitate the events preceding today. I don’t want to mar this glorious occasion by regurgitating what has already been ventilated well enough.
“I do, however, want to place on record my thanks to the previous organisation of which I was part, for the experience they had given me and also the opportunity to serve.
“It matters not how I found myself in this room today. What matters is that I am here, in full force, completely, totally and wholeheartedly souled out to the mission of ActionSA.
“Finding myself here today is something that is very surreal. I have to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming”, Allie said.
She expressed her admiration for Mashaba’s entrepreneurial and leadership talents, saying she had tracked his career since she was young.
Vowing to “hit the ground running”, Allie thanked her new party leader, her new colleagues and the party’s supporters.
Addressing her decision to make a seamless return to politics, Allie explained it was a pursuit that went beyond career ambitions.
“We are not the faint-hearted. You have to be thick-skinned, you have to be tough, and if we answer the call as ntate Mashaba also has answered, having left the private sector to come and serve, you have to be committed,” Allie said.
‘Boxes beyond their weight’
After encouraging the youth and disaffected potential voters to register this weekend, Mashaba gushed about his “vibrant, hard-working, proud South African” new recruit.
“I have admired you from a distance for a long time. I watched you now in the legislature, sit alone. When you say someone boxes beyond their weight, that is exactly what you did.
“When the opportunity presented to us to join our party, I was overwhelmed,” said Mashaba.
National chairperson Michael Beaumont thanked Allie for her grace, but took the opportunity to take a jab at her former party.
“I’m sorry for what you have had to go through to find your way here. You have handled it with class and dignity today, and I think that says a lot about your character.
“I think the way in which people are treated is often a reflection on how voters will be treated by a political party. I assure you, that’s not how we operate here,” said Beaumont.
Allie will serve as election campaign ambassador for the Gauteng region, with provincial chairperson Funzi Ngobeni explaining she would be tasked with driving political issues across all municipalities.
Ngobeni also announced several mayoral candidates, including Gibsy Diale for Mogale City, Vuyisile Mcunana for Rand West City and Caleb Dhlamini for Sedibeng.
