ActionSA has resolved to initiate a process to ascertain whether any of its councillors in Tshwane may have deviated from the decisions of the party’s caucus to support the Democratic Alliance's (DA's) Cilliers Brink’s mayoral bid.

The party asserted that its members need to take accountability when they don’t abide by its values.

Tshwane councillors voted to install Congress of the People's Murunwa Makwarela as mayor. He was the council speaker. He received 112 votes by secret ballot, while Brink, as the DA’s nominated candidate, received 101 votes.

While Cope is a coalition partner with the DA, Makwarela was nominated by the African Transformation Movement.

After a coalition meeting on Thursday evening, ActionSA leaders met with the Tshwane caucus, where a “desire was expressed by all its councillors for measures to identify those who may have voted against the caucus decision”, they concluded.

“ActionSA holds that the secret ballot provision of the Municipal Structures Act exists to protect votes of conscience but observe that this cannot be an unchecked power. The coalition observed the potential for the right of a secret ballot to be perverted to protect the receipt of bribes and inducements to support a candidate. This is contrary to the principle of ethical leadership,” said ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont.

He also opined that parties have a dual obligation to “protect a legitimate vote of conscience but also to protect Tshwane residents from votes being cast in exchange for financial or other kinds of inducements.”

The party requires any Tshwane councillor who voted to support Makwarela to provide written reasons to justify their decision. The party has also considered a request for polygraph testing.

ActionSA said it is committed to the multi-party coalition in Tshwane and will work with coalition partners “to ensure that any form of wrongdoing will be acted against in the strongest terms and in a manner consistent with our legal system.”