ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont stated at the second Mashaba Legacy Tour in Kliptown, in Johannesburg that service delivery in the City collapsed after former mayor Herman Mashaba's term of office ended.

He claimed that the African National Congress (ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA) and micro parties such as Al Jama-ah have produced at least seven “ineffective” mayors, who he claimed presided over the collapse of Joburg.

“Only one mayor in recent years has ever shown the residents of Joburg real, positive change that improved their lives – and that was Herman Mashaba,” he said.

Mashaba served as the mayor of Johannesburg from August 2016 until he resigned in November 2019.

Beaumont said ActionSA launched the Mashaba Legacy Tour campaign to give Joburg residents hope that their city can work again.

“We will do this to demonstrate to the residents of Joburg and give hope that their city was on the right track before and can be on the right track again. We will do this to remind them that only ActionSA offers a pathway from the years of failures they have endured. We will do this to show them that they do not need to look far to find a leader with a proven track record of fixing their city,” he explained.

Beaumont praised Mashaba’s leadership during his tenure as mayor, highlighting his achievements and also noting the housing backlog of over 300 000 applicants that Mashaba had inherited.

“The city Mashaba inherited responded to this crisis by delivering only 2 000 houses per year and spending more on international travel than on electrifying informal settlements.

“And quite appropriately, the money to fund this electrification came from cancelling a corrupt contract given illegally to a Zimbabwean national who took the money and did not do the work,” he said.

Mashaba's legacy in addressing the housing crisis in Joburg stands unrivalled, he added, pointing to Mashaba’s three years in office, saying he electrified 20 informal settlements.

“…this gave electricity to 10 000 homes that had never had electricity before,” he explained.

Beaumont said Mashaba delivered over 11 000 toilets to communities; as well as 7 000 RDP homes, 7 500 title deeds and 3 500 serviced stands.

He praised Mashaba's Inner City project for focussing on the missing middle of the housing market: the people who could not afford a mortgage but did not qualify for RDP housing.

“This list of achievements not only stands unrivalled but arose from a complicated seven-way minority coalition government and is a record that has never been rivalled by any of the many mayors from the ANC, DA or minority parties that have followed Mashaba. ActionSA will be highlighting these and many more achievements that form part of Mashaba’s legacy,” he said.