Launched during the challenging Covid-19 lockdown, ActionSA today celebrates five years in South Africa’s political arena with plans to increase its representation in Parliament and build municipal branches, as the country gears up for the 2026 municipal elections.

Speaking exclusively to Polity on the party’s anniversary, ActionSA deputy president Dr Mbahare Kekana acknowledged that it was not easy for political parties to achieve representation in Parliament.

Currently ActionSA has only six representatives in Parliament: Alan Beesley, Dereleen James, Lerato Ngobeni, Patricia Kobe, Solomon Letlape, and Athol Trollip.

Kekana said ActionSA wanted to be an accumulative party.

“We have six members of Parliament. And our target is to increase them, come next elections, maybe to 22 or 32, then next elections, increase them again. We want our success to be accumulative in terms of, what is that we want to achieve. Because eventually, we understand that we are now moving towards coalition government, but we want to be a party in five years’ time, where no form of government will move without us,” he stated.

He said ActionSA wanted to be at the centre of forming a government and to ensure that there were no groupings or political parties forming a government without ActionSA.

“…whether it is the ANC and DA ,whether EFF and MKP, both these groupings or any form of government must not proceed without ActionSA,” he said.

Kekana said this was because ActionSA wanted to be able to push a policy shift, where the party was able to ensure service delivery.

Kekana revealed that ActionSA’s long-term goal was to replace the Government of National Unity (GNU), explaining that the party was not pushing for a one-State party.

“…but we want to see ActionSA be a leader in government. We do not rush ourselves. We have a 15-year plan to take over this country, we not saying we want to lead now, but we have a 15-year plan to totally be a leader of government,” he explained.

BRANCHES

ActionSA is looking to expand its branches so it is rooted in various municipalities.

Kekana described branches as the heartbeat of a party, as they shaped the future of a political party.

ActionSA hopes to build that on the ground sp South Africans can participate.

“…they can be able to make decisions in their own branches, they can also help the party in terms of making decisions. We want to make sure that we are rooted at every voting station, every ward and every municipality,” Kekana said.

He said this would bring stability to the party.

Despite its low numbers in Parliament, Kekana said its representation in the National Assembly and in various legislatures and three key municipalities, was a significant achievement.

The party continues with its Green Umbrella movement, which aims to garner collaboration with smaller opposition parties “to build a viable alternative focused on fixing communities”. Kekana said ActionSA was in discussion with other parties to expand the movement.

COALITIONS

Meanwhile, he claimed that coalitions had taught ActionSA that political parties entered into agreements “without having a desire to change policies but for positions”.

He noted the GNU’s composition of political parties, questioning which policies the partnership had installed.

“…they are not even saying anything about any policy, they even differ on policies. But they agree on positions,” he stated. 

He said ActionSA wanted a coalition government based on policy agreement. 

“Because without us changing or amending or moving towards a whole reconfiguration of our policies, policies which will be more economic in terms of assisting our people on the ground, that coalition is useless,” said Kekana. 

He claimed that the GNU did not have a plan for South Africa. He said ActionSA declined to join the GNU because the party wanted to be a “constructive opposition”. 

He pointed to City of Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya’s leadership, stressing her pursuit of municipal by-law enforcement and the constructive role in policy formulation.