ActionSA claims ANC voters abandoning party as it sweeps township votes

ActionSA believes it is emerging as one of the biggest beneficiaries of growing voter dissatisfaction with the ANC, with the party claiming that support is shifting directly from the governing party to Herman Mashaba’s movement in key township battlegrounds.

The party, founded by entrepreneur Herman Mashaba six years ago, has cut a swathe through ANC strongholds in Gauteng as service delivery issues grip the province, gaining seats in several municipalities, particularly in Gauteng, where it has targeted ANC strongholds and campaigned heavily on service delivery and governance.

ActionSA wards

ActionSA has grabbed several areas.

Speaking to The Citizen at the IEC Results Operations Centre at Gallagher Convention Centre on Friday, ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said early local government election results pointed to a significant movement of voters away from the ANC.

“I would suggest that the movement away from the ANC has principally been towards ActionSA,” Beaumont said.

Taking on ANC

According to Beaumont, the party has already wrested dozens of wards from the ANC.

“What we know is about 55 wards so far and counting. We take those from the ANC in the townships of Gauteng,” he claimed.

Beaumont argued that the shift was not simply an anti-ANC vote but a vote in favour of a party that voters believe can govern effectively.

“Those votes are going from a political party with a track record of failing delivery to a political party with a track record of delivering services to everyone,” he said.

Endorsement

He described the results as an endorsement of ActionSA’s leadership in municipalities where it has played a governing role, particularly Tshwane.

“This is particularly important in the context of having an ActionSA mayor and a vote of confidence behind the work she’s been engaged in to turn around that city,” Beaumont said.

The party is also seeing growth outside Gauteng, a development Beaumont said would be critical as it builds towards future national elections.

“It’s good to see the growth of the party outside of Gauteng … registering councillors across all nine provinces,” he said.

Coalitions

While attention is increasingly turning to possible coalition governments, Beaumont made it clear that ActionSA would prioritise governance over ideology in municipal negotiations.

“We’ve made ourselves available to work with any political party to negotiate,” he said.

He said local government coalitions should be judged on their ability to fix communities rather than on broader national political debates.

“It’s not about international relations and economic policies. It’s roads, electricity, water, sewer, and refuse,” Beaumont said.

Beaumont said ActionSA would only enter coalition agreements with parties willing to commit to stable governance, better service delivery and a crackdown on corruption.

“We will ultimately only go into coalition with political parties that commit to a programme of government that will deliver services to everyone, end the revolving door of mayors, wage war on corruption through proper investigations of wrongdoing, and bring the fight against illegal immigration,” he said.