Herman Mashaba says talks between his party and Operation Dudula are at a sensitive stage.
ActionSA president Herman Mashaba has confirmed that he is in talks with Operation Dudula about a possible “collaboration” in the upcoming local government elections.
Mashaba told The Citizen on Tuesday that talks between the two organisations are at a sensitive level. Operation Dudula is also a registered political party.
He said he had a “productive” two-hour meeting with Operation Dudula leaders two weeks ago.
“Can I be allowed to cross the bridge when I get to it? You can imagine that it would not look good talking to people and getting into negotiations in bad faith,” he said.
“I do not want to predetermine the outcome. I would not want to be placed in that situation. Whatever arrangement we come to with Dudula we will make an announcement. If not it’s fine. We will find a way to work together.”
Mashaba said the meeting was also meant to engage the leaders of Operation Dudula about the manner in which they carry out their activism in communities.
Dudula’s controversial activism
Dudula has been criticised for what some have described as xenophobic actions. The High Court in Johannesburg also interdicted it from carrying out some operations at public health care centres and schools where it checked the passports and IDs of people suspected to be illegally in the country.
“I am talking to them because I think their concerns are genuine. We told them that what we encourage them to do is to fight within the boundaries of the law.
“We told them if there is an opportunity for us to collaborate in the future, we do not have a problem as long as they work within the legal framework.
“Working within the legal framework means when there is an issue we go to court or we have peaceful marches and we must mobilise communities to take this GNU out so one day we can have a government that can pass laws and end illegal immigration,” he said.
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Johannesburg mayoral candidate
Mashaba said the party is still looking for a mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg.
He denied that ActionSA is considering Zandile Dabula, the president of Operation Dudula.
“About the mayoral candidate that must be someone’s dream… And I am not lying I am not the kind of person that can be found lying. I make lots of mistakes but lying is something that is not in my DNA,” he said.
The Citizen reached out to Dabula for comment. This article will be updated when that comment is received.
Recently Mashaba said he would raise his hand for this position only if ActionSA does not find the right candidate. But other names that have been bounced around include former DA MP Lindiwe Mazibuko and ActionSA MP Dereleen James.
ActionSA immigration policy
According to ActionSA policy documents, estimates indicate that as much as 10% of all people living in South Africa are undocumented foreign nationals.
“The problem is not that citizens of other countries have chosen our country as their home, but rather that too many foreigners enter South Africa without following the legal process of immigration.
“The dysfunctionality at home affairs also results in many foreigners being unable to acquire the correct documentation for legal residency in South Africa,” the party said.
Political analysis
Political analyst Andre Duvenhage told The Citizen that ActionSA could be considering having some type of cooperative relationship with Operation Dudula as a survival strategy.
“What is clear is that parties must define for themselves certain survival strategies and we know that the name of the game is going to be coalition politics so in this case you would need to work with strange fellows.
“At this time parties cannot be purely ideological about their views, we also see this in the government of national unity (GNU).
“If you look at ActionSA it started off as a moderate middle of the road party. People supported it as what could be considered a black DA but the personal relationship between Mashaba and Malema was very strong and the connection between ActionSA, EFF and ANC still exists.
“At the moment ActionSA is in trouble as they do not have the support base. They need support and we know that immigration in this country is at the core of our problems,” he said.
Duvenhage said a working relationship between these two parties is possible and could be beneficial for both.
“It is possible that the Dudula movement can work closely with ActionSA, they can use them for formal registration processes and for some of the competition fees that are required, position candidates and funding campaigns,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mashaba has declined to cooperate with the Unite for Change Movement, comprising parties such as Good, Rise Mzansi and Build One South Africa.
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