‘I need to focus on the party’: Herman Mashaba on not going to parliament

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says he decided against going to parliament to concentrate on growing his party.

The party secured six seats in parliament after garnering more than 630,000 votes in their first contestation of national elections.

Mashaba announced on Wednesday that four members of his party were chosen to be MPs, but his name and that of ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont were not on the list.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Mashaba said he needed to work more to grow his party as he believed many South Africans voted in last week's elections “along racial lines”, something he was against. 

“ActionSA has a huge role to play. If you look at how South Africans voted, they voted purely along racial lines, something we fought against during apartheid for years. We need a moderate political party that can stand for one South Africa, and I believe Michael and I need to focus on that,” he said.

ActionSA will be represented in parliament by Athol Trollip, Tebogo Letlape, Alan Beesley and Malebo Kobe.

Mashaba expressed confidence in their capabilities.

“Those people are going to play a role as if they are 60. We put in the best brains and committed South Africans who can make sure we prepare for 2029. We want to fight to build a nonracial South Africa,” he said.

Beaumont said Mashaba and him stepping back from parliament was a strategic move.

“ActionSA is not a party orientated around positions and perks of office. Our objective to build a strong nonracial alternative to the ANC is the focus of the leadership in ActionSA,” Beaumont said.

He was also confident about the MPs the party appointed to parliament.

“ActionSA assembled a team with a wealth of experience in critical areas such as community development, health, governance, finance and economic development,” he said.

Beaumont stressed the importance of party members in parliament working diligently across committees to hold government accountable.

TimesLIVE