ActionSA Tshwane Caucus Leader and City of Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya said local government is meant to be the level of government closest to the people, yet, in practice, it has become the level furthest from them.

Moya was speaking at the launch of ActionSA’s national campaign to fix local government, in Alexandra, Johannesburg.

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba led a door-to-door campaign in the area, speaking directly with residents about the service delivery challenges they face.

“Across our country, municipalities have become places of despair. Potholes turn roads into obstacle courses. Water taps run dry while leaks gush for weeks. Refuse piles up and streetlights don’t work. In too many communities, including right here in Alexandra, people have been forced to live without the most basic services,” Moya pointed out.

Moya described local government as a distant bureaucracy filled with excuses, corruption, and cadre deployment and added that the lack of dignity of many was a “failure of administration and a betrayal” of government’s purpose.

She said it was the poor, the unemployed, and the voiceless who suffered most.

“ActionSA was formed because we refused to accept this as normal. We were tired of promises. Tired of politicians who only arrive during elections. Tired of leaders who are only accountable to their party bosses and not to the communities they serve,” Moya stated.

Mashaba claimed that many political leaders are more loyal to party bosses than to the people they were elected to serve and said in the absence of functional municipalities, local economies suffer, jobs disappear, and opportunities vanish.

Trust between citizens and government has eroded, he added.

"This is not just a technical failure. It is a moral failure. A failure of leadership. And it is costing South Africa dearly. But it is exactly this failure that ActionSA was formed to confront, and, most importantly, to fix," he stated. 

ActionSA believes the solution lies in building a new kind of local government, one that is transformative, accountable, and, people-centred.

"We believe in local government that listens, that answers your calls, responds to service complaints and shows up when residents need help. We believe in local government that cares, that treats every community with dignity and respect, whether you live in a township, an informal settlement, a suburb, or a rural village. And we believe in local government that works, where excuses are replaced with action. Where we fix what’s broken, clean what’s dirty, and build what’s needed, without delay," Mashaba pledged. 

He announced that ActionSA is already putting this into practice where it governs. 

Moya pointed to the programmes underway in Tshwane, noting that in just over 7 months, the City passed its first fully funded, pro-poor budget in years.

“We launched the Tshwane Economic Revitalisation Strategy to stimulate growth in tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, and the township economy in pursuit of 3.9% economic growth by 2029.

“We introduced a plan to settle our R6.7-billion Eskom debt, stabilising electricity supply and mitigating energy instability to the best of our ability. We restored water supply in places like Hammanskraal where people had been forced to live without clean water for nearly two decades,” she explained.

The city also fixed over 20 000 streetlights, rolled out clean-up campaigns and fixed roads.

Moya noted the City’s first real steps to reclaim Tshwane from lawlessness, cable theft, and illegal land grabs.

“We also launched the Tshwane Imbizo which gives residents an unmediated voice in governance, because we believe the people must come first,” she added.

She clarified that ActionSA was not claiming perfection, noting that there was a long road ahead.

“…but we are proving, every day, that where ActionSA governs, things can get better. And that is why we are launching this campaign nationwide. Because Tshwane should not be the exception. Every city and town in South Africa deserves leadership that is ethical, decisive and accountable,” she said.

Mashaba said the party's approach to local government entails reliable basic services; clean and safe neighbourhoods; pro-poor budgeting; professional appointments; fast turnaround times and real partnerships with communities.