ActionSA has refused to become part of the government of the City of Ekurhuleni after its mayoral candidate Xolani Khumalo was offered the position of MMC for Community Services and bylaw enforcement.
On Tuesday evening, Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza announced his new mayoral committee after the death of MMC of Roads and Transport Andile Mngwevu last month.
However, Xhakaza’s appointment of ActionSA’s Khumalo came as a surprise since this party is not part of the coalition arrangement in the City of Ekurhuleni.
Mashaba rejects offer to join Ekurhuleni government
On Wednesday, ActionSA’s president Herman Mashaba released a media statement indicating that the party is declining the position and will not form part of the Ekurhuleni government.
“Following repeated and unsuccessful attempts by Mayor Xhakaza to solicit ActionSA’s participation in his administration, I have consistently made it clear that we will not join his failing government and have rejected every personal and formal approach made to us.
“Our position has been very clear on every occasion that we will not lend credibility to an administration that has overseen the lawlessness and deterioration of service delivery that continues to cripple the city.
“The people of Ekurhuleni are tired of dysfunction, lawlessness and the collapse of basic municipal services.”
Mashaba said ActionSA’s focus remains on restoring governance, cleaning out corruption, restoring the rule of law and fixing the fundamentals of service delivery.
“These are priorities we intend to implement when we secure a clear mandate from residents in the upcoming local government elections,” he said.
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Why ActionSA said no
The party’s national chairperson Michael Beaumont indicated several reasons why Khumalo should not serve in Xhakaza’s mayoral committee.
“The portfolio offered was by-laws, not safety, so the mayor wanted to relegate Xolani to a writer of fines not a fighter of crime.
“Crime cannot be fought while reporting to the bosses of the criminals Xolani goes after.
“For the war on crime to be won, Xolani must lead government after the local elections this year, not take instructions from those implicated in criminal wrongdoing,” he said on his X account.
ActionSA ignoring Xhakaza’s calls
Speaking to The Citizen, Beaumont said the party had been invited by the ANC in Ekurhuleni to participate in a revised coalition.
He said the mayor announced Khumalo as an MMC despite ActionSA declining the offer. He added that the party had also stopped taking the mayor’s calls on this matter.
“It points to the kind of failed leadership that has broken Ekurhuleni. The fight against crime cannot be won while reporting to criminals.
The Citizen had reached out to the ANC and the mayor’s spokesperson for their comment. This will be added when received.
Marriages between ANC and ActionSA
There is speculation that ActionSA will expand its working relationship with other parties in the City of Tshwane to other municipalities in Gauteng, but Beaumont said the party has not determined who it will work with after the local government elections later this year.
“ActionSA has not made any determination about which parties it will or will not work with. Our focus is on winning elections so that coalitions are led by ActionSA leaders because where this happens, like in Tshwane, government works and is stable,” he said.
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