Changing the tune: ActionSA voters turn on Mashaba over ANC coalition talks

Herman Mashaba, the leader of ActionSA, once stated that he would consider a coalition with the ANC only after centuries have passed. However, five years later, his party is now engaged in negotiations with the ANC, while Mashaba is demanding that Helen Zille be removed from the Johannesburg mayoral race before he will consider a deal with the DA. Despite ActionSA's claims that coalition negotiations have nothing to do with personality or ego, dissatisfaction among its supporters is evident.

On social media, among ActionSA supporters, there is noticeable opposition to an ANC partnership. A review of 1,170 Facebook comments and 590 replies on X found that around 90 Facebook comments opposed an ANC agreement, while 45 X users opposed it outright. Supporters argue that cooperation with the ANC and EFF could work in Tshwane, where Muzi Khumalo said he would reconsider voting for the party if it joined forces with the ANC.

Mashaba's position on the ANC presents a potential post-election challenge for ActionSA supporters who voted for the party to escape the ANC. When ActionSA contested its first municipal elections in 2021, Mashaba firmly stated that he would not consider a coalition with the ANC for 300 years. Despite this, ActionSA has engaged in productive discussions with the ANC and EFF, citing successful cooperation in Tshwane as evidence that such an arrangement can work, as long as it prioritizes service delivery, accountability, and fighting corruption.