In the aftermath of the Democratic Alliance (DA) federal congress, a Johannesburg youth leader and councillor has become the latest party leader to leave for Herman Mashaba's Action SA.

In his resignation letter, Lincoln Machaba said it was clear the party had abandoned the principle of diversity and the project of being a serious contender to the African National Congress (ANC).

Machaba said he made the decision following the election of John Steenhuisen in a landslide victory against Mbali Ntuli.

In a statement similar to that of former Gauteng leader John Moodey, who also left to join Mashaba, the former DA councillor and youth leader said the DA had shifted from wanting to be a party that fought for all South Africans to a party sympathetic to a particular race.

He said he observed this during the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) protests against the Clicks advertisement, where he said the DA ignored the fundamental point that the advertisement was wrong, but chose to focus on the "hooliganism" of the EFF.

Machaba said: "But when it came to Senekel protests, they did not deal with [the] hooliganism of those protesters who destroyed a state vehicle. The DA ignored that and sympathised with farmers. The DA has moved from being a reasonable centre which can attract all people, to becoming a party that wants to shape shift. It's no longer a home for [the] majority of South Africa."

DA regional chair and MP Tsepo Mhlongo said the party wished Machaba well. "He joined the party willingly and left willingly. People must appreciate when leaders are elected; if you didn't support them, you must take the majority view," he said.

Steenhuisen was elected by 80% of the party delegates this weekend.

Machaba told News24 the DA was moving backward to a time when Tony Leon was leader with no plans to expand its voter base. He added that while the party had a strong social media policy, some leaders were not held to the party's laws.

"I have decided to join Action SA as a member and volunteer - with a personal mission to help build the organisation and to ultimately rally the youth of South Africa behind the vision of Action SA. I am deeply moved by Action SA's commitment to being a home for young people and it is already clear that the youth of South Africa are aligning themselves to Action SA.

"I have complete conviction that Action SA is destined to become the political movement that the young people have been waiting for, and [an] organisation that will reflect the diversity of our country and challenge the ANC for power, rather than just being in opposition for opposition's sake," he said.

Action SA spokesperson Lerato Ngobeni said the party welcomed Machaba's endorsement.

"We have formed our own youth forum to help us think through our policy direction and chartering forward for young persons."

She denied the party was a splinter of the DA, saying the fundamental difference was that Action SA recognised race and redress.

"Action SA was not formed as part of a detraction for [the] DA, but the need to create an alternative towards a shared future," she said.