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I greet you on this momentous morning as we launch ActionSA’s campaign to fix the country we love so much.

As I stand hear this morning in Ga-Ramotse, Hammanskraal – not far from where I grew up – I am filled with pride, optimism and hope.

Three years ago, in the middle of COVID-19, ActionSA was launched to a virtual audience as we faced a global lockdown.

Today, however, I stand before a sea of green representing a party that has grown from strength to strength. From our humble launch in a studio environment, we have established ourselves as political force for change and prosperity. The crowd before me today is testament to that!

Many underestimated us. Many said we would fail. But in 2021 we proved them wrong. Contesting just six of the country’s 278 municipalities, we became the sixth biggest political party nationwide.

And since then, we have established structures across all nine provinces, attracting diverse support from the heart of Soweto to the suburbs of eThekwini and the depths of rural Limpopo.

As I stand before you today, filled with hope and pride, and humbled by the mass of Actionairs before me, we take the next leap forward on our mission to fix South Africa!

Today we officially launch our campaign to bring change and progress to South Africa. To unseat an uncaring and corrupt government next year, and to replace them with an ethical and caring government that will build an inclusive and prosperous future for all South Africans.

Actionairs, South Africans, this milestone is three years in the making.

When we launched ActionSA 2020, we did so with a desire to restore hope in South Africans.
We did so because we are proud and patriotic South Africans that love our country, and care too deeply to give up on its future. Because we believe that hope is NOT lost.

I lived through the worst days of Apartheid, and remember our transition to democracy. Like many people across our country, I believed in the promise of 1994, the ideal of a Rainbow Nation, and the great hope we shared for our collective future.

I remember the excitement, and the collective will to build a more equal and just society where all South Africans work in unity towards a better tomorrow.

But, while we have made some progress, I am confident that you will agree with me that South Africa has not lived up to its potential. The ruling party failed South Africa. Driven by greed and corruption, they put their own needs above those of the people.

Today, we see the consequences of this all around us. And today we say NO MORE!

I want to share a story from my past with you.

I was raised in this very community as a proud product of Hammanskraal. As a child I walked these very streets in Ga-Ramotse.

Like many South Africans, I did not have the good fortune of growing up with both my parents. My father passed away when I was 2, and I was raised by my three sisters while my mother worked as a domestic worker in Johannesburg.

I know what it feels like to be excluded from opportunity and designated as a third-class citizen. Like millions of Black South Africans, we faced the challenges of poverty and inequality.

But I was not deterred.  It was my grandfather who said: “God gave us this brain that allows us to confront and overcome these challenges”.

My grandfather, like many parents today, wanted me to live a better life than his. He instilled in me a believe in the value of hard work and inspired my entrepreneurial drive to succeed.

Driven by a desire to escape my humble beginnings, in 1985, I launched Black Like Me in factory at the Ga-Rankuwa Industrial Park nor far from here.

With funding from Walter Dube from Mabopane, together with my wife Connie, Joseph Molwantwa and a white Afrikaner from Boksburg, Johan Kriel, we built one of South Africa’s biggest cosmetic companies. We later invited an Indian accountant, Nisar Dawood, to join our business.

We built Black Like Me during a time when it was illegal for black men to work with white or Indian men. But despite these obstacles, we preserved, and we succeeded.

That’s why I was so excited in 1994. I understood that my success had been the exception under Apartheid, and I looked forward to a new era where my story of escaping poverty would not be would be shared by all South Africans that were oppressed by that evil system.

But today, as we prepare to mark 30 years of democratic government next year, too many South Africans remain strapped in a cycle of poverty.

The hope and optimism we felt in 1994 was taken from us by self-serving, unpatriotic South Africans

Unpatriotic South Africans have looted our state and made themselves rich while almost 12 million South Africans go without jobs

Unpatriotic South Africans have allowed our society to descend into lawlessness, spending more on VIP protection than on fighting the gangs and drugs that corrupt our children.

Unpatriotic South Africans have destroyed our education system, leaving our youth to believe that a pass mark of 30% is sufficient for them to build a future.

And unpatriotic South Africans have allowed our borders to collapse and our infrastructure to decay.

But, if there is one thing I know about my fellow South Africans, it is that we are NOT an unpatriotic nation.

Unpatriotic South Africans are the minority. They are the FEW. But we, we are the MANY.

When we launched ActionSA in August 2020, I remarked that “there is nothing as powerful in this world than that moment when good people realise that they are the majority, and stand together to change the course of history.”

I stand by those words, and my belief in the good, hard-working, law-abiding, family-oriented and freedom-loving people of our beloved country.

And I stand l alongside all proud and patriotic South Africans who are ready to fight to reclaim the future of our country.

Actionairs, South Africans,

Today, ActionSA makes a dangerous declaration; we are taking a stand and we are saying that we are not gathered here for ourselves.

We are gathered here because we no longer leave our future in the hands of unpatriotic South Africans.

We gather with a singular mission: to take the fight of building an inclusive and prosperous future to every single community across South Africa, and bring about change through the actions of patriotic South Africans that refuse to give up.

In February this year, ActionSA launched our South African Dream. This is our vision for an inclusive and prosperous future for a nation led by an ethical and caring government. The 2024 election campaign we launch today will give life to that dream.

ActionSA believes that it is our collective duty to create a country that we are proud to call our home.

A country where children can play safely in our streets, where corruption is eliminated, and everyone has the opportunity to be successful.

A country clean and well-run towns and cities where public transport works to bring people to opportunity and quality services are delivered with pride.

A country where everyone has access to clean water, reliable electricity, quality education and affordable world-class healthcare.

Fellow South Africans,

I’m sure these are words you’ve heard before. There is not a single party in South Africa that has not spoken about fighting corruption and creating jobs.

Even those who captured our state made public promises to fight the cancer of corruption.

I have never believed in making promises I cannot keep. I don’t just want to share empty words with you. I want to tell you that we are not a party of WORDS, we are a party of ACTION, with a plan to fix South Africa.

Since the launch of our South African Dream, we’ve embarked on arguably the most comprehensive public consultation process to develop the policies needed to fix our country.

We held countless expert policy panels, spoke to thousands of ordinary South Africans, and studied international best practice. And at our inaugural policy conference in September, over 600 delegates united to fine-tune and adopt real, implementable and pragmatic solutions to the many challenges we face. Allow me to share some of them with you -

Firstly, we will take action to build an inclusive economy that creates jobs.

It saddens me today to stand in this community, knowing that the Ga-Rankuwa Industrial Park where I launched Black Like Me 38 years ago is almost deserted.

It saddens me that 29 years after Apartheid, more black-owned manufacturing businesses like Black Like Me haven’t been launched.

It saddens me that the Babeligi industrial area where factories that used to employ thousands, if not millions of people of Hammanskraal, are now a shadow of its past. The buildings largely stand empty, with doors, windows and cables carried away for scrap metal.

We have to change this.
ActionSA’s policy on Economic Prosperity will create a conducive environment for economic growth and job creation through interventions that will stabilise the energy market, develop world-class economic infrastructure, and improve the ease of doing business.

We will reform labour regulations to break the stranglehold of unions and make it easier to do business to create millions of jobs and lift our people out of poverty.

We will unlock entrepreneurship by introducing low-interest, government-secured loans for small to medium enterprises.

We will fast-track the development of new industries and technologies and foster a culture of innovation and competition so that we can diversify the economy and create new sources of growth.

And we will deal with rolling blackouts by liberalising the electricity market and introducing competition.

The private sector must be an equal partner in developing our country and its people. Under an ActionSA government, the private sector to flourish, giving more South Africans an opportunity for success and upward mobility.

But, fellow South Africans, economic growth that is not inclusive will not break the cycle of poverty and inequality we face.

It is unacceptable that 29 years into democracy, the gap between the haves and the have-nots has widened. In many aspects, we are a more unequal today than we were in 1994.

Let me be clear: ActionSA supports black economic empowerment but we reject the policies of the ruling party that have left the majority of our people trapped in poverty.

That’s why ActionSA will replace the failed BBBEE Act with a policy of Inclusive Economic Empowerment to empower all previously disadvantaged South Africans, as well as those harmed by 30 years of corrupt and incompetent government.

When I visit communities like Orange Farm in Johannesburg, or Khayelitsha in Cape Town, I ask myself what has BEE done to help these South African?

Sewerage runs in the streets. Rubbish goes uncollected. There is no water and electricity, and crime is rife.

We have to change this.

ActionSA’s policy on Economic Justice is the first real alternative to the failed BBBEE Act – a policy that only empowered entrepreneurs and enriched the political elite.

ActionSA’ policy of Inclusive Economic Empowerment, or IEE, will directly address the legacy of Apartheid by creating wealth for all previously disadvantaged South Africans. Not just the connected few.

IEE will create an Opportunity Fund in which every previously disadvantaged South African has a stake in, developing prosperity and reducing inequality in this country.

We will use the money businesses currently spend on BEE compliance to build infrastructure that benefits the poorest of South Africans.

This will finally begin to level the playing field and ensure equality of opportunity. Through IEE, we will ensure that my story of escaping poverty is not just an exception, but the rule.

Second, we will take action to end poverty and protect the most vulnerable in our society.

We live in a country where our government of unpatriotic South Africans celebrate having 19 million on social grants.

How can we be proud of a country where people are forced to rely on R350 a month as their only income, while we waste billions on corrupt tenders that benefit only these unpatriotic South Africans.

I believe that ActionSA must be judged on our success reducing this number, by providing opportunities for South African adults to work and support their families. The only real way out of poverty is through expanding access to jobs and opportunities for upward mobility.

But, we believe social grants play an important role in supporting our people, and serve as a safety net for those who have no other income.

That’s why when ActionSA takes government, we will introduce a universal basic income stimulus package. This will not be a meagre R350 a month, but enough to raise people out of poverty and ensure that no South African goes hugry.

Thirdly, we will take action to fix our broken education system.

As a youngster, my grandfather taught me the value and importance of education as a pathway to break the cycle of poverty and improve the lives of my family.

My university education was cut short by the Apartheid state of emergency, but I have never stopped believing in the power education offers for upward mobility.

The destruction of our education system in South Africa is the biggest crime committed by our unpatriotic government, as it has robbed generations of the chance for a better life.

This must change.

ActionSA’s Education Policy will fix this system and ensure that all children in South Africa have access to quality education, starting with universal access to Early Childhood Development.

ECD plays a critical role in improving educational outcomes later in life. We will expand funding for ECD, including the expansion of feeding schemes to ensure children receive adequate nutrition during these formative years.

We will end the stranglehold unions have over our schools to ensure that the best teachers are appointed to positions. School inspectors will be reinstated to make sure that quality teaching takes place.

We will reform our curriculum to improve educational outcomes and ensure children can read for meaning, and they will be taught the skills necessary to attain jobs and contribute to growing our economy.

And we will expand opportunities to further education, including adult education and vocational training, to develop a new generation of skilled artisans, engineers, doctors and teachers.

Fourthly, we will take action to fight crime and corruption.

As I have said on many occasions, no country can thrive, and no economy can grow in a state of anarchy and lawlessness.

When I travel across South Africa, it breaks my heart to hear countless stories of rape and murder, children captured by drug addiction, and communities living in constant fear.

Today marks the halfway mark of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, but other than paying lip-service to fighting GBV, our unpatriotic government has left women to live in fear.

We must change this.

ActionSA’s policy on Law and Order will restore the rule of law by ensuring that we prioritise community policing over VIP protection.

We will reform SAPS and restore pride in the badge, ensuring that the police can once again be trusted, and that criminals no longer run our communities with impunity.
We will amend bail, parole and sentencing guidelines for serious crimes such as rape, murder and drug trafficking. Under an ActionSA government, life will mean life. And when people enter our prisons, they will contribute to society by helping to work the land.

We will declare corruption as Public Enemy Number 1, reintroduce the Scorpions, establish specialised courts to deal with corruption, and create a culture of ethical excellence within the public service.

And we will end the practice of cadre deployment which enables corruption, and insist on merit-based appointments and strict consequence management. South Africa must have a professional public service that puts citizens above politics.

Lastly, we will take action to secure our borders.

ActionSA has always said that we want the people of the world to come to South Africa, but they must do so legally and obey our laws once here.

This past week, travelling in Limpopo, I saw first-hand how unpatriotic South Africans have allowed the collapse of our country’s borders.

Our policy on Immigration will ensure that we streamline the process of legal immigration for those who qualify, making it easier to obtain visas and work permits for those wishing to enter South Africa legally. South Africa needs foreign investment and critical skills to grow our economy.

We will make it easier for those who can assist in building a prosperous economy to come to South Africa and do business here.

We will secure our borders, and overhaul Home Affairs to clamp down on corruption and the issuing of fraudulent documentation.

And we will deport undocumented criminals that have no right no be in South Africa.

South Africans,

These are just a handful of the tangible and implementable plans that we have to fix South Africa.

With these plans we will ensure that our South African Dream becomes our new South African reality.

Hope for South Africa is not lost. It is possible to live in a country where we reduce inequality, where everyone has access to opportunity, and our people are safe to live healthy lives.

But, it is only possible if patriotic South Africans come out in the millions and register to vote, and vote for action next year

Actionairs, when ActionSA was launched three years ago, many said we wouldn’t make it past our first year.

Many doubted and underestimated us. Many are doubting and underestimating us again today.

But we won’t be deterred, from the depths of rural Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga, to the bustling cites of Cape Town, eThekwini and Johannesburg, the green machine is on the move.

In 2021, when they thought we would fail, we proved them wrong. And next year we will prove them wrong again.

We are ready to disrupt politics, enter government and fix this country.

I will say it again: hope is not lost!

Because together, patriotic South Africans CAN and WILL fix South Africa.

I thank you.

Issued by ActionSA president, Herman Mashaba