ActionSA president Herman Mashaba will be stepping down from his position as a City of Johannesburg Councillor on February 28.

Mashaba issued his resignation letter on Sunday, saying now that ActionSA’s caucus is settled and the party’s Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMCs) are actively pursuing programmes of service delivery in Johannesburg, it was time for him to step back and allow someone else the opportunity to gain critical local government experience.

He consulted the party’s caucus and ActionSA Senate which agreed that his time must be spent leading the campaign to grow ActionSA across the country so the party can effectively challenge the African National Congress in 2024.

“The important work of expanding ActionSA will require my constant travelling to set up structures across the country and my Council seat should be filled by someone who is fully available to the needs of the residents of Johannesburg,” Mashaba said.

Following the establishment of the coalition governments in Gauteng after the 2021 local government elections, Mashaba said he had taken the approach of overseeing the first few months with a view to getting ActionSA set in the council. 

He explained that he was pleased to see the calibre of individuals that the party had put forward as Councillors, MMCs and Section 79 Committee chairpersons.

“As the President of ActionSA, I will apply myself in the multi-party coalition to ensure stable and effective government that places the needs of residents first,” he concluded.