Mashaba on toxic marriages, and working with a ‘criminal enterprise’

The collapse of the governing coalition in the country’s capital, Tshwane, is a tale of plots and backstabbing, according to ActionSA’s Herman Mashaba. But from the outside, it looks more like a case of ActionSA’s political expedience and dislike for the DA.
6 mins read

ActionSA has kicked the DA in Tshwane to the curb in favour of the ANC – a party that ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba swore he wouldn’t work with, and which he has previously called a criminal enterprise. Mashaba’s party is also now in a coalition that includes the EFF – a party it previously called thugs and dishonest. Currency asks Mashaba to explain this shift, which has infuriated some of his supporters. 

What went wrong in Tshwane?

After the 2021 local government elections we voted the DA into the government in Tshwane, Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni. And we were happy to co-govern with them after this recent general election, only to discover their plot to get the ANC national leadership to work with them in Tshwane and remove us … That is what informed our decision to defend ourselves.

You’ve said before that you had issues with the DA when it came to service delivery, particularly in the poorer areas of Tshwane. So was your decision because of politics, or service delivery?

We were working with the DA to address the provision of services to the poor communities better. The DA has been governing Tshwane since 2016 and if you go to any township since 2016, service delivery literally stopped. We were working with them to address this matter and beginning to see some traction. Unfortunately, this backstabbing created a problem.

Why did you not try and resolve your issues with the DA internally? Why break up the coalition and plunge the city into instability?

I would not live in the same house with a wife that tried a plot to destroy me – and be expected, because she failed, to stay in that relationship.

You lauded the performance of the administration as recently as July – speaking about improvements in stability and service delivery, and rooting out corruption. You opposed a motion of no confidence against Cilliers Brink. Was the relationship with the DA still cordial then?

Our relationship with the DA was never cordial. It has always been a very abusive, arrogant partner, but we tolerated them because we did not really have an option. What actually drove us to this edge was for them to go behind our backs when we thought we had a working relationship.

Some say that you’ve sold out, that you’ve undone the stability of the Tshwane government to try secure more powerful positions in council. What would you say to that?

The majority of South Africans today are celebrating the decision that ActionSA took.

That basically puts you in a kingmaker role. How did that affect your negotiations?

Well, I think it is my nature: when I negotiate anything in life, I negotiate a win-win situation. I don’t really go into an arrangement with arrogance. I always enter negotiations with humility, making sure that the deal we [reach] is going to work for both parties.

Tshwane faces a multitude of problems and there’s not that much time to turn things around before the 2026 local elections. Are you not concerned, having taken the mayoral position, that you’re going to be seen as the face of a failing municipality when those elections come around?

In politics, when government fails, you bring in a new leadership to turn things around. Tshwane can be turned around with all its problems … Government and a municipality is not like business, which can be liquidated. It requires us to intervene and do something … But if we had opted to walk away and leave the city without a government, it would been a failure on our part.

In Ekurhuleni the ANC and EFF have been in a coalition. In that metro, you’ve pointed to service delivery failures, to a deterioration in finances. Yet you’ve now put the same parties in charge in Tshwane. What do you think is going to be different?

Look at the auditor-general’s report [on Tshwane] from 2016 [and] look at the AG’s report of how badly the DA ran that municipality until ActionSA came to the rescue.

Look at Tshwane under the DA on their own since 2016. Look at the Western Cape. Look at the poor communities. I can tell you, my first visit to Cape Town in 1985 … [took] me to Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and other areas. I can tell you go to those areas today, they are worse off than they were in 1985 … So it is well and good for people to say the DA governs and governs well. But I think we have to really then understand what we mean by good governance for who, when people of Khayelitsha or people of Gugulethu live in a sewer today.

If you feel that you are being steamrollered in government as a minority party, why not leave the coalition and put yourself in the opposition benches?

Why should we be steamrolled? The only thing that would really make us move from this coalition is if anybody expects us to cover [up] corruption … We’ll never cover corruption for anyone, and we don’t want anyone to cover us as ActionSA in the event of any of us getting involved in corruption. But all the other issues, I think we can negotiate.

You’ve previously called the ANC a criminal enterprise. You’ve said there’d be no coalition with the party. ActionSA has called the ANC-EFF tie-up in Ekurhuleni a ‘coalition of doom’. It looks as though you’ve gone back on your word …

I used to believe the DA is a progressive party that believes in social justice. I can tell you now, without any shadow of doubt, that the DA [is] a shadow of the National Party.

But why go into power with the ANC? Why not go into the opposition benches and hold the government to account from there?

The voters decided the kind of government the city of Tshwane must have. For us to walk away from the DA and walk to the opposition benches would mean the city does not have a government. So we responded to what the voters of Tshwane actually wanted – to co-govern that municipality. For us to sit on the opposition benches when we have the numbers to form [a] government, it would have been irresponsible.

What about going back on your word that you would never go into coalition with the ANC?

The voters have said to us, where you co-govern, whether you like the ANC or DA or not, you’ve got to co-govern with someone else. Show me any party that is in the current grand coalition that [didn’t commit] never to work with ANC. ActionSA is not unique.

What is the long-term strategy. You’ve tied up with the ANC in Tshwane and in Joburg too, but those are localised partnerships. Is there a bigger picture?

The big picture is to ensure that Tshwane works. The big picture is to ensure that Johannesburg works.

You have said that Julius Malema should be prosecuted. You’ve called the EFF thugs in Ekurhuleni. You’ve called the party dishonest about its funding, yet now you’re going to be working alongside it. Where does the EFF fit into your plans around government?

If you’re struggling to understand how I operate, please look at the DA – a 30-year-old party; we’re only four years old. What have they said in the past eight years about the ANC? And they are now in government with them, even pronouncing that they will protect them against prosecution, protecting the government and the president against Phala Phala. [Fact check: the DA has called for a review of the decision not to prosecute anyone for the matter.] So if you’re struggling to understand ActionSA, I’m sure you’ll find it even more difficult to understand the DA’s position, working with the party that a few months ago, even reported the president to the FBI.

But the DA isn’t here right now; we’re asking about ActionSA’s choices.

At the end of the day, you do what the voters have demanded you to do. This grand coalition has [saved] us from MK. For us, as much as we find some weaknesses with it, I think it’s the right thing for South Africa … We are pragmatic. We operate in a real world based on the situation voters have put us into.

The DA has come up a lot in this interview. Is there not a concern that ActionSA has become defined by its opposition to the DA, rather than standing on its own?

Our association with the DA, unfortunately, cost us a lot with the black voters. They’ve had a concern, from day one, that we’re going to sell their votes to the party that’s going to bring back apartheid. We tried to defend that position, and it cost us dearly. So right now, I think it’s clear we know the majority of South Africans are celebrating the independence of ActionSA, because we have demonstrated, without any shadow of doubt, that ActionSA is not a branch of the DA or the EFF. ActionSA is a totally independent political party.

What are the first three things you’re going to do in Tshwane to turn things around?

Well, I don’t think you must do three things; you must do everything that government has got to do. People of Tshwane want electricity, water [and] a conducive environment for them to find employment. People want personal safety. People expect to see bylaws being implemented. People of Tshwane want to see clinics that work. So you can’t just do three things … you must do everything all at the same time.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

Top image: Herman Mashaba, president of ActionSA. Photo by Gallo / Images by Sharon Seretlo

Shirley de Villiers

With a background in political science and over a decade in journalism, Shirley de Villiers brings a unique perspective to her writing. As a former deputy editor of the Financial Mail, her columns have become known for their wit and insight. Shirley’s ability to distil complex scenarios into compelling narratives makes her a must-read for anyone interested in South Africa’s political landscape.

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