Africa-Press – South-Africa. ActionSA in Kwazulu-Natal has gained 33 new members from other political parties, the majority from the DA.
On Tuesday, its KwaZulu-Natal chairperson, Zwakele Mncwango, described the recruitment as an “exciting time” for ActionSA as it aimed to grow its provincial and national footprint ahead of the 2024 elections.
Most of those recruited were mainly former councillors from various municipalities in KZN. But some had served as MPs.
The bulk of the recruits were from the DA. However, several members were also recruited from the Abantu Batho Congress (ABC).
The ABC is led by eThekwini Deputy Mayor Philani Mavundla.
Mavundla had campaigned on an anti-ANC ticket ahead of the local government elections in 2021. Still, he later provided the ANC with support in forming a coalition and was rewarded with the deputy mayoral position in eThekwini.
Mncwango cited Mavundla’s political shape-shifting as the reason for more than seven of the party’s members joining ActionSA.
Those from the ABC include Bheki Khusi, a former KZN provincial secretary, Mimi Mali, the former provincial treasurer and Sboniso Mabika, the former deputy secretary in KZN.
A former DA MP, Rafeek Shah, said he decided to join ActionSA because he was interested in seeing a tangible change in the political dynamics in the country.
Mncwango is a former DA member and joined ActionSA with an immediate appointment as the party’s KZN provincial chairperson.
He said the goal for his recruitment in the province was to win seats but possibly gain power in KZN.
The ANC’s steady decline in electoral performance in previous elections has given parties such as ActionSA confidence in gaining more votes.
“We are not contesting to get seats but to get power. There is a big space for ActionSA in this province. Those who think they dominate in KZN must know we are here now. Here we are building a strong organisation,” Mncwango said.
ActionSA has performed remarkably well in local government elections, with the party having only contested six out of 278 municipalities.
The party, led by Herman Mashaba, is one of the most well-funded political parties in the country, with millions of rand in donations declared to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
In declarations recently published by the IEC, it noted ActionSA received considerable donations despite having no representation in provincial legislatures and the National Assembly.
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