ActionSA to launch 'political academy' to prepare members for government

ActionSA is to launch its own political academy.

The idea is to ensure members of the party are able to articulate policies and to prepare potential MPs and MPLs for government and leadership development, ActionSA chief director of governance Nasiphi Moya said.

“We are intentional about offering credible leaders who will hit the ground running the moment they get elected. We do this because we are committed to being the party of government,” she said.

“ActionSA cannot be part of the problem by flooding the system with individuals who are not ready to take the country forward. This would be contradictory to our guiding principle of ethical leadership and professional public service.”

The party has resolved to grow its own leadership core to “fix” South Africa.

Moya denied it was similar to the ANC's cadre deployment policy, saying the academy was nothing like the governing party's OR Tambo School of Governance.

“This is not a version of cadre deployment, we are very far from that. We formed a political party to get into government. So we ought to induct and empower our members to understand the constitution, to know what it means to be a member of the party.”

ActionSA needed the academy because it attracted members who have mostly been disillusioned by the system and have been far from government, said Moya.

“They have probably not paid attention for many years, because they had lost hope in government. So mostly what we get is people who are not registered to vote, people who have not voted over many terms. What we are trying to do is empower our own members.”

The party's inaugural policy conference will be held at the Birchwood Hotel, Johannesburg, in September.

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