Mashaba ‘played’: Where to now for ActionSA after being kicked into the political wilderness in Joburg?

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says his party’s relationship with the ANC has completely broken down, with those close to the situation believing he was outsmarted.

ActionSA played a significant role in Dada Morero’s election as mayor of Johannesburg last year. In turn, the ANC supported the election of ActionSA Speaker of Council, Nobuhle Mthembu.

But the relationship soon soured, leading to ActionSA abstaining from a no-confidence vote on Wednesday in protest against Morero, and the ANC retaliating by voting to boot out Mthembu.

Speaking to The Citizen on Thursday, Mashaba said it is clear that the working relationship between the two parties is “non-existent”, but ActionSA will not pull out of the partnership in Tshwane.

“From day one, the relationship was very difficult, and it was even affecting us in public. We do not want any association at all with Dada Morero’s administration,” he said.

He said ActionSA was not consulted on issues such as the State of the City address, the 2025 budget, and the controversial bomb squad that was announced earlier this month.

“We tried to get them to do the right thing, but it was not really working, so we decided that we cannot support this man,” he said.

Mashaba said he had engaged with the leadership of the ANC regarding some of these issues, including concerns about ethical governance in the City of Johannesburg.

Back to the benches

Mashaba said his party will now go back to the opposition benches, where it plans to hold the ANC accountable.

“They thought that they are punishing us by taking the speaker’s position, but I can tell you now that we are relieved. No one can hold a gun to our head when Johannesburg is busy collapsing.

“We will operate as an effective opposition with no strings attached,” he said.

What about the speaker?

The City of Johannesburg is currently without a speaker of Council and councillors will now have two weeks to select a new one. That process will be presided over by the current acting city manager, Tshepo Makola.

Earlier this year, Morero said he would reshuffle his mayoral committee to ensure that people with the right skills are in the right positions.

However, The Citizen understands that the smaller parties in the government of local unity (GLU) led by Morero are likely to take the position.

The ‘return of Gwamanda’

Another reason some believe Mashaba was outsmarted is due to an alleged meeting he had with Al Jama-ah councillors.

He claimed former mayors Thapelo Amad and Kabelo Gwamanda said they had been sent by the DA to convince ActionSA to vote for the return of Gwamanda as Joburg Mayor.

“On the 6^th of June, they came to my office asking for my support to remove Dada and vote for the election of Kabelo Gwamanda. I said to them, ‘What nonsense are you talking about?’,” he said.

Both Al Jama-ah and the DA have denied this claim.

DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the party “did not make any promises” about the vote.

“Fortunately, we can speak for ourselves. Our motion to remove the speaker was inadmissible, and our caucus’ decision to support her removal was tabled on record in council.

“It is unfortunate that the ANC didn’t keep their promise to Mashaba that if he [ActionSA] abstains and keeps their mayor, they will abstain and keep the speaker.

“It must be frustrating working with people who can’t keep their word.”

This belief that Mashaba had been “played” was supported by several other sources in the council who spoke to The Citizen.

ALSO READ: Joburg speaker removed in vote of no confidence

Morero ‘the right man for the job’

Meanwhile, ANC Gauteng spokesperson Mzi Khumalo said Morero’s survival of a motion of no confidence vote on Wednesday was a sign that he was the right person for the job.

“Under the leadership of Dada Morero, the City of Johannesburg is making visible and meaningful inroads to stabilise governance, restore service delivery, and respond to resident concerns,” said Khumalo.

It remains unclear who will become the next speaker of the City of Johannesburg.

NOW READ: Joburg mayor Dada Morero survives motion of no confidence