ActionSA president Herman Mashaba said on Wednesday that joining forces with the African National Congress (ANC) would undermine his party’s ability to fulfil the role it has chosen for itself in the Government of National Unity (GNU) era.

On Tuesday Mashaba affirmed that his party would not consider any proposal to join the GNU until the issues of the value-added tax (VAT) increase and income tax bracket creep had been resolved.

This after the party said it noted media reports arising from the ANC’s National Working Committee meeting held on Monday night, which Mashaba said suggested a move to reconstitute the GNU to include ActionSA.

Last week, the Inkatha Freedom Party and the ANC voted for an ActionSA recommendation that supported the fiscal framework, including a VAT increase, instead of amending or withdrawing the report, as suggested by the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters.

Mashaba said South Africa needed an effective opposition to hold government accountable, and said joining forces with the ANC would betray the party’s promise to voters who entrusted ActionSA as an alternative to traditional politics.

Following the May general elections, ActionSA was invited by the ANC to join the GNU after it suffered its “worst electoral defeat” since 1994, securing only 40% of the vote.

Mashaba noted that despite this invitation, ActionSA firmly rejected any participation in the GNU.

“…our decision was guided by strategic considerations and our commitment to serving as a strong, yet constructive, opposition party rather than diluting our principles by aligning with a coalition government which seemed set to only perpetuate ANC policies in the guise of a GNU,” he said.

He highlighted that while some opposition parties chose to join the GNU, which he believed compromised their independence, ActionSA stood firm.

He said ActionSA was not politically aligned with the ANC, and did not intend to be, explaining that the party engages with the ANC and other parties on an issue-by-issue basis, with the aim of serving the best interests of South Africans.

He said the party’s independence extended beyond rejecting collaboration with the ANC and included distancing itself from coalition formations that fail to uphold their commitments.

In June, ActionSA withdrew from the Multi-Party Charter that fought the 2024 general elections after other parties had allegedly violated the publicly signed agreements which ruled out working relationships with the ANC, only to later renege on these commitments.

“We will not compromise our principles for political expediency or short-term gains. We are mindful, nevertheless, that the changed political terrain following the 2024 general elections requires, even from ActionSA, a level of strategic agility issue-by-issue collaboration for South Africa,” Mashaba said.

He said ActionSA remained committed to its founding principles of independence and accountability.

“…while we may engage with other parties on specific issues where we believe collaboration serves public good – such as in our leadership of the multiparty coalition in the Tshwane metro and in ongoing national Budget approval processes – we will never compromise our values or align ourselves with entities that perpetuate South Africa’s pains. This includes maintaining a clear distance from the ANC’s governance model, which we believe is fundamentally flawed,” he added.