ActionSA president Herman Mashaba on Monday announced that his party will be joined by the Azanian Independent Community Movement and the Creatives Congress Movement, under the Green Umbrella Project.

Mashaba pointed to decades of communities facing incompetence, corruption, and broken promises from political parties.

ActionSA, through the Green Umbrella Project, aims to unite a diverse group of political parties under a single banner to provide communities with a “unified voice and a real chance for change”.

Mashaba said the partnership between ActionSA, the Azanian Independent Community Movement and the Creatives Congress Movement will see ActionSA’s representation grow by seven councillors, expanding its reach in the North West, and establish a presence representing a movement of artists and creatives to “champion innovative cultural initiatives, and strengthen our connection with diverse communities”.

Currently, ActionSA is represented by 23 councillors in the North West.

So far, the Green Umbrella Project has welcomed several political parties such as the Botho Community Movement; Capricorn Independent Community Activists Forum; Magošhi Swaragang Movement; Democratic Union Party and Forum 4 Service Delivery party.

ActionSA has grown from 91 public representatives to 141 represented across South Africa.

“Today marks yet another milestone in this journey, as community-rooted parties from across the provinces join under the ActionSA banner, bringing our total representation to nearly 150 public representatives. And this is just the beginning,” Mashaba announced.

He added that ActionSA’s trajectory was defined by exceptional growth in rural communities and urban centres.

“The proof of this is our first by-election victory in Ward 7 in Ramotshere Moiloa municipality in the North West in October last year, where ActionSA unseated the African National Congress (ANC) in their historic rural stronghold.

“While in the heart of the City in Johannesburg, Ward 130, ActionSA nearly tripled its support to 22.66%, placing us second only behind the ANC, and beating both uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF),” Mashaba said.

He attributed the party’s victory in Ward 7 to a simple strategy: the unity and consolidation of opposition political parties rooted in communities.

“…these parties, despite not having a broad national footprint, are often the most in touch with local needs and best placed to fight for the interests of their communities,” he added.

Mashaba said the momentum ActionSA was building was not about power but about partnership and restoring faith, noting the work of Tshwane Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya.

“Working with our coalition partners, Dr Moya leads a team whose work is being noticed even by her harshest sceptics and critics. This is what ActionSA brings to local government,” he stated.