The DA goes after Herman Mashaba again as elections campaign hots up

The DA has again fired a broadside against its former mayor, Herman Mashaba, and his party ActionSA amid a heated campaign to win the City of Johannesburg in next week’s local government elections.

At a press conference held at the party’s head office in Johannesburg, three DA leaders took turns slamming Mashaba, saying a vote for him amounted to a vote for the EFF due to his cosy relationship with the party during his stint as a DA mayor.

DA deputy chairperson of the federal council, Thomas Walters, read out a letter that shows how Mashaba allegedly lobbied the party to give power to the EFF in Metsimaholo municipality in exchange for its support in Johannesburg.

“The reason we are here is to warn voters that by voting for ActionSA they could well be opening the back door for the EFF. What we will show is that ActionSA has a host of former DA members who colluded with the EFF and who were no longer at peace with the DA that sees that SA’s future as a battle between the ideas of the DA and the EFF.

“This is not an election gimmick or mudslinging. It is a serious wake-up call for all those voters who believe ActionSA will not turn around after November 1 and jump into bed with the red berets,” said Walters.

He said in 2017 Mashaba used his position as Johannesburg mayor to lobby for the EFF to get mayorship of Metsimaholo municipality.

“”It must be noted here that the DA did not bend to his will and eventually he left,” said Walters.

He said in his letter Mashaba told the DA federal leadership that whether it liked or not the EFF was a strategic partner of the DA to save SA and the DA could not do it on its own.

“Mr Mashaba clearly sees the EFF as a partner, not a danger to the future of SA. EFF policies would take SA down the road to ruin but Mr Mashaba sees them as a  partner,” said Walters.

He said Mashaba told the party he thought that if the DA did not support the EFF to take mayorship of Metsimaholo, he did not see why the party would support the DA in other municipalities.     

Walters said the letter showed Mashaba was willing to do anything to be in the good books of the EFF.

He quoted minutes of a meeting of the DA federal executive in which Action SA Gauteng chairperson John Moodey, who was then a DA provincial leader, allegedly asked the party to give the EFF two senior positions in Johannesburg.

“ Gauteng leader Mr John Moodey proposed the party offer the EFF two positions on the mayoral committee, this is in Johannesburg, and noted it is unlikely voters will notice or remember said appointment as MMCs are not well-known,” said Walters.

At the presser he was flanked by DA mayoral candidate for Johannesburg Mpho Phalatse  and DA Gauteng legislature chief whip Mike Moriarty. 

This is the second time the DA has gone after Mashaba. In an advert earlier this month, the party warned voters against voting for Action SA, saying it was a small party.

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