Soweto-based ActionSA Councillor Mandla Nyaqela and five of the party's branch chairpersons and members have defected to the Democratic Alliance (DA) and were welcomed into the blue party on Thursday by DA Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille.

She is expressing confidence that many more will join the party.

Speaking at a briefing in Johannesburg, Nyaqela said he had joined ActionSA with high expectations but had been “sorely disillusioned”, claiming that there was “no space for debate” in the green party.

He described ActionSA as a “top-down dictatorship”, stating that members only received instructions.

Nyaqela expressed unhappiness with a lack of internal elections in ActionSA, claiming that all positions were appointed by one or two top leaders.

In response, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba posted on X, "I would to take this opportunity to deeply convey ActionSA’s appreciation to the @Our_DA and Helen Zille in particular, for saving us the trouble of undergoing a disciplinary process and potential legal expenses."

Meanwhile, Zille thanked the new recruits for their “courage, conviction and determination”.

“People are beginning to understand that the best way to get water, electricity, clean neighbourhoods, investment and jobs is through the kind of good governance that the DA has a record in delivering,” she stated.

The DA believes the defections will severely impact ActionSA’s ability to organise on the ground in its key constituency of Soweto.

MAYORAL CANDIDACY

Meanwhile, following a by-election victory for the DA in Ward 102 of Randburg/Bryanston on Wednesday, Zille is expected to fill a vacant proportional representation seat, allowing her to officially join the Johannesburg City Council ahead of the general local elections.

In her campaign as the mayoral candidate for City of Johannesburg, Zille has vowed to fix the City's failing water systems, repair roads and stabilise electricity supply.

She highlighted the R200-billion infrastructure backlog as a critical hurdle.

To effect her plans, Zille aims to digitise internal systems to curb corruption and streamline the City's bureaucracy.