Former Midvaal mayor Bongani Baloyi has joined ActionSA just over a month after he left the DA in December.
Baloyi was unveiled by the party on Monday during a briefing which was attended by its top leadership in Sandton.
Baloyi has been at the helm of Midvaal since 2013 when he became the youngest mayor in the country at age of 26 until the recent municipal elections when the DA announced that he would be replaced by Peter Teixeira.
While DA leader John Steenhuisen praised Baloyi’s leadership and said the party had big plans for him, Baloyi has joined a growing list of black leaders who had terminated their membership with the party, with many joining ActionSA. Herman Mashaba, a former DA member and Johannesburg mayor, heads ActionSA.
Announcing Baloyi’s decision to join the party, ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the party was excited about welcoming Baloyi into his party’s ranks, as he praised him for having “combined youth and excellence” while he led the small Gauteng municipality.
“We are not going to spend much time talking about other political parties from which people come. Today is a celebration of positive news,” Beaumont said.
Mashaba said he had tried to poach Baloyi from the DA before the municipal elections.
“On of the features that impressed me about Baloyi was my engagements with him when I launched ActionSA, and I sought to bring him into the party. He remained committed to see out his term of office for the people of Midvaal, even if he was politically willing and wanted to leave with dignity,” Mashaba said.
Baloyi said he remained proud of his record of clean governance while with the DA but that he was excited about his new political home.
“Me joining ActionSA means I am committed to working for the betterment and improvement of SA. I am encouraged by the ActionSA brand,” he said.
ActionSA unveils Midvaal's former mayor Baloyi as its new star member
Former Midvaal mayor Bongani Baloyi has joined ActionSA just over a month after he left the DA in December.
Baloyi was unveiled by the party on Monday during a briefing which was attended by its top leadership in Sandton.
Baloyi has been at the helm of Midvaal since 2013 when he became the youngest mayor in the country at age of 26 until the recent municipal elections when the DA announced that he would be replaced by Peter Teixeira.
While DA leader John Steenhuisen praised Baloyi’s leadership and said the party had big plans for him, Baloyi has joined a growing list of black leaders who had terminated their membership with the party, with many joining ActionSA. Herman Mashaba, a former DA member and Johannesburg mayor, heads ActionSA.
Announcing Baloyi’s decision to join the party, ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the party was excited about welcoming Baloyi into his party’s ranks, as he praised him for having “combined youth and excellence” while he led the small Gauteng municipality.
“We are not going to spend much time talking about other political parties from which people come. Today is a celebration of positive news,” Beaumont said.
Mashaba said he had tried to poach Baloyi from the DA before the municipal elections.
“On of the features that impressed me about Baloyi was my engagements with him when I launched ActionSA, and I sought to bring him into the party. He remained committed to see out his term of office for the people of Midvaal, even if he was politically willing and wanted to leave with dignity,” Mashaba said.
Baloyi said he remained proud of his record of clean governance while with the DA but that he was excited about his new political home.
“Me joining ActionSA means I am committed to working for the betterment and improvement of SA. I am encouraged by the ActionSA brand,” he said.