Former ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal representative Dr Makhosi Khoza said on Tuesday that she was hurt following her dismissal from the party, and has accused ActionSA of serving the interests of the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Khoza’s ActionSA membership was terminated last week for allegedly bringing the party into disrepute and for alleged reputational damage to the party for apparent self-gain.  

The party’s Ethics Committee unanimously agreed that she should be dismissed.

In an interview with Newzroom Afrika she claimed that the party was being controlled by the DA and that it has become the “black version of the DA” because “all the black prominent frontline leaders are gone”.

She said ActionSA is a proxy of the DA in KZN.  

ActionSA alleges that Khoza has been linked to the disgruntled ActionSA Soweto group.

She disputed this by saying the evidence presented via a WhatsApp group during the hearing did not hold water. She has denied any links to the Soweto group.

“I really feel sad that [ActionSA leader Herman] Mashaba will go to this extent to tarnish my name. I am not that type. I am not a power-hungry person,” said Khoza.

When asked what she thought the main reason behind her dismissal was, Khoza recalled a rally in KZN where the crowd in attendance cheered when she took to the stage.

“Obviously I have a much stronger voice than Mashaba. It was never my intention and I really feel sad that Mashaba would actually take a WhatsApp message and conclude that I was trying to topple him. I really do think that we may be dealing with some self-esteem issues,” she said.

The eThekwini metro council elected Khoza as chairperson of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) in December.

She said she received a hail of insults over the appointment from ActionSA Senate members who felt betrayed because she was elected by members of the African National Congress (ANC).

Khoza was chairperson of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee while she was an ANC member.

She said the backlash she received was due to political misunderstanding of the terrain especially in the KZN province.

Khoza said she had plans to grow ActionSA in the province because she had experience from when she was in the ANC.

She said she is being treated the same way as Lindiwe Mazibuko, Phumzile van Damme and recently Mbali Ntuli.

“I feel used and abused,” said Khoza.

She believes that South Africa has to be educated about women in the political space.