Outgoing ActionSA proportional representation (PR) councillor in Johannesburg Mandla Nyaqela, who has joined the DA, has accused party leader Herman Mashaba of tightly controlling the organisation, including instructing councillors to abstain from voting in council.
Nyaqela, who resigned from ActionSA on Thursday, claimed PR councillors were expected to follow instructions without question.
“According to Herman Mashaba, all PR councillors are expected to be zombies. They are not supposed to engage or vote and are always abstaining. There is always an instruction from him and you can’t do anything. Even during caucus meetings, there is no engagement. There is no sense of autonomy. I do not want to continue being a member of a political organisation with no democracy,” he said.
He was among 50 ActionSA members who were joining the DA. The DA’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille paraded them in Soweto during the announcement on Thursday.
Nyaqela said his decision to leave ActionSA was driven by what he described as a lack of internal democracy and meaningful engagement.
I would like to take this opportunity to deeply convey ActionSA’s appreciation to the DA, and Helen Zille in particular, for saving us the trouble of undergoing a disciplinary process and potential legal expenses
— Herman Mashaba, ActionSA leader
He said tensions between him and the party began after the 2021 local government elections, citing accusations of his underperformance.
“It is a lie that I am facing disciplinary action for underperformance. It’s stooping low. I launched the first branch with more than 100 members in one ward, which qualified me for the PR councillor position,” he said.
“Mashaba told us our numbers would speak for us — if you do well, you will go in. But when the results came out, those who made it were people close to him and those with qualifications."
Nyaqela said in 2024 Mashaba apologised, allegedly saying he had been misled.
ActionSA has claimed Nyaqela was facing disciplinary action related to performance issues.
In a post on X Mashaba said: “I would like to take this opportunity to deeply convey ActionSA’s appreciation to the DA, and Helen Zille in particular, for saving us the trouble of undergoing a disciplinary process and potential legal expenses.”
The party released a statement welcoming Nyaqela’s departure. It said: “ActionSA welcomes the departure and thanks the DA for saving us the trouble of a lengthy disciplinary process, while also providing the perfect opportunity to shortly introduce an exceptional, committed community activist into council.”
TimesLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.