Mashaba sips tea with Steenhuisen over 'positive strides' and plans for 2024 elections

It seems ActionSA and the DA have set aside their differences and are exploring ways to work together again. 

This after the leaders of the parties, Herman Mashaba and John Steenhuisen, made “some positive strides” over tea on Thursday.

The pair met to discuss, among other things, a plan for the municipalities where they co-govern for the 2024 elections. 

“I am pleased that John Steenhuisen and I have made some positive strides over tea, exploring ways to work together for the municipalities where we co-govern, in particular the focus on the 2024 project,” said Mashaba. 

Steenhuisen said: “Our work of building a prosperous and secure future for South Africa continues. I had a constructive meeting with the leader of ActionSA Herman Mashaba, discussing issues of mutual interest as part of our bilateral meetings with various political organisations.”

The meeting comes weeks after ActionSA pulled out of the DA-led multiparty coalition in Ekurhuleni after accusing re-elected mayor Tania Campbell of avoiding townships.

ActionSA’s head of governance Nasiphi Moya accused Campbell of refusing to go to black townships.

“This mayor refuses to go to Tsakane, refuses to go to Thembisa, which is something we’re not for,” Moya said.

The party also accused the DA of deception over its coalition plans with the ANC after DA Gauteng provincial leader Solly Msimanga revealed the party polled its supporters and concluded they want to go into coalition with the governing party.

ActionSA chairperson Michael Beaumont said:  “There can be no doubt the DA is planning to provide the ANC with the majority it will lack in 2024 as some misguided notion of generating reforms from within. 

“No credible polling of DA supporters would generate a view to coalesce with the ANC.  This is clearly a leadership-level decision that is now being rationalised.

“The notion that reforms can be achieved within a coalition with the ANC is absurd. If the reform project under President Cyril Ramaphosa could not achieve these changes within his own party the notion that the DA can or should fix the ANC is absurd.”

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