ActionSA has named Kabelo Moatshe as its candidate to replace Herman Mashaba as a councillor in the Johannesburg metropolitan council.    

The 47-year-old from Soweto emerged victorious after the party’s senate initiated a process to review its PR list in the Gauteng metros after the local government elections.  

Mashaba said last week he resigned from the council to focus on growing the party across SA’s nine provinces before the 2024 provincial and national elections.

“We are pleased by the results which have produced lists that acknowledge and reward the hard work of so many deserving candidates who eagerly seek the privilege of serving their communities,” said party chairperson Michael Beaumont.

“Nowhere is the value of this process better demonstrated than in Johannesburg. The process produced a result which saw Kabelo Moatshe emerge at the top of the PR list.”

The replacement comes a week after a meeting in Tshwane descended into chaos when a violent scuffle broke out between members. Some hurled insults while tables and chairs were overturned. TimesLIVE understands that the brawl was about deployment grievances. Some members had accused the party leadership of deploying people not in touch with the plight of the poor — despite campaigning for votes in their areas.    

“Kabelo Moatshe will fill Herman Mashaba’s vacancy at the end of February. It serves as a demonstration, in the face of a handful of former members, that hard work and dedication to communities will be recognised and rewarded,” said Beaumont.

“We are equally pleased to announce that Novina Pillay has emerged as the top candidate in Tshwane and Juanita Tourien in Ekurhuleni, both of whom will fill current vacancies.”

He added that the party had resolved to review its PR lists on an annual basis to ensure that “candidates who seek to improve their prospect of serving their communities have the opportunity to do so”.

“This review is a major step for ActionSA’s building of internal institutions to ensure processes are implemented that reward excellence from individuals with a track record of serving their communities.”

TimesLIVE