ActionSA finalises national and provincial lists, sends Trollip to Parliament

10th June 2024 By: Thabi Shomolekae - Creamer Media Senior Writer

ActionSA finalises national and provincial lists, sends Trollip to Parliament

ActionSA announced that it will be sending former leader of the official opposition in Parliament Athol Trollip to represent the party in the National Assembly.

The party announced the finalisation of its national and provincial lists in the final approach to impending inaugural meetings of the National Assembly and provincial legislatures next week.

“…considering proposals for a grand coalition co-opting much of the opposition space in Parliament and in the legislatures, ActionSA has resolved to send the strongest possible delegation that must punch above its weight division in the National Assembly,” said ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont.

The party will also be sending to Parliament Dr Kgosi Letlape, Dereleen James, Lerato Ngobeni, Malebo Kobe and Alan Beesley.

Beaumont said the calibre of ActionSA leaders going to the National Assembly will “clearly have the ActionSA caucus punching far above its weight”.

In the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, ActionSA provincial chairperson Funzi Ngobeni will be joined by former Member of the National Assembly Emma More, and former Leader of the Official Opposition in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature John Moodey.

While, in the North West Provincial Legislature, ActionSA will be represented by General Kwena Mangope and by Thoko Mashiane in Mpumalanga.

“ActionSA’s Senate, reflecting upon the dynamics arising from the 2024 elections, concluded that ActionSA must work to fill the void left by an opposition that will likely be co-opted into governing with the African National Congress (ANC),” Beaumont explained.

Last week ActionSA announced that it had parted ways with the Multi-Party Charter, citing a “serious breach” by other political parties who it said publicly signed and campaigned under an agreement that expressly ruled out working relationships with the ANC.

Beaumont noted that the past 20 years had demonstrated the inclinations of the ANC towards “corruption and malfeasance” even when the voice of the opposition was well represented.

He added that an opposition that had been neutered with positions and perks of office will be “too compromised to hold its own government to account”, which he said would make the work of ActionSA, and other parties, vital in the opposition in environment.

Beaumont said that his party would use these new platforms to continue the fight that it has begun to fix South Africa.

“…while not achieving the result sought, ActionSA has nonetheless emerged as the biggest new party outside of uMkhonto we Sizwe Party and amassing over 630 000 votes,” he explained.