ActionSA president Herman Mashaba said he will not be resigning from the party following allegations that some ActionSA leaders had been negotiating with the ANC behind his back.
Mashaba released a statement yesterday saying that he would not be leaving the party following reports that he would leave ActionSA should the party go ahead and work with the ANC in coalitions.
Sources had told “The Star” that upon coming back from Kenya on holiday, Mashaba had discovered that some of the party’s top leaders had been engaging the ANC on possible coalitions in municipalities in Gauteng.
ActionSA Gauteng leader Bongani Baloyi and Michael Beaumont were allegedly engaging the ANC with hopes of saving the party from financial collapse.
Mashaba’s wife, Connie Mashaba, was also allegedly not happy with the fact that her husband was funding the party from his own pocket.
ActionSA told “The Star” that Mashaba said he would leave the party should the public consultation process the party is engaged in give ActionSA a mandate to work with the ANC.
But Mashaba later backtracked in a statement.
“Nothing could be further from the truth and this is nothing more than dishonest and malicious reporting (published without comment being sought) that I will be personally addressing with IOL and the press ombudsman until it is retracted with a full apology,” Mashaba said.
DA provincial leader Solly Msimanga told “The Star” that he had been told by some ANC leaders that there were negotiations with some ActionSA leaders. He said top leaders in the DA had been meeting with the ANC to try to save the party.
“We know that they having talks with the ANC, all that has been done right now is more of a smokescreen because Herman Mashaba has decided that he will no longer continue funding ActionSA,” Msimanga said.
Msimanga said ActionSA leaders knew that the only way the party would survive without Mashaba would be to work with the ANC and other parties.
“Some people in the ANC have even told me that they have even decided what they want to do with Tshwane as well,” Msimanga said.
ANC provincial secretary TK Nciza told “The Star” that the party has been engaging other parties, who are willing to work with the ANC in coalitions. Nciza also confirmed that the ANC had engaged ActionSA informally.