ActionSA Launches First of its Kind -Coalition Public Engagement Platform
4 November 2021
In yet another first, ActionSA has today launched an online public engagement platform developed with the purpose of ensuring the voice of residents is heard in this sensitive phase of coalition negotiations.
ActionSA has committed that our role in coalitions, both the negotiations and their operating, will be done in a manner that places residents of municipalities first. A critical component of this is to ensure that decisions regarding coalition are made with a mandate.
It is within this context that ActionSA launches this platform, an online engagement which solicits the views of residents of municipalities about key coalition considerations. These include whether ActionSA should enter coalitions, which political parties we should work with and what should be the priority consideration in this process.
This process will run until the end of Sunday 7 November and can be accessed through https://www.actionsa.org.za/
ActionSA has committed itself to coalitions but solely on the basis of the following principles:
Openness and transparency with how public support is used in coalition.
A commitment to fighting corruption, including investigating serious claims of malfeasance in coalitions since 2016.
A common service delivery programme agreed upfront which outlines priorities and non-priorities.
A pro-poor and pro-business agenda that is seen as mutually inter-dependent.
With the exception of the ANC, ActionSA will be open to coalition discussions with political parties based on their commitment to these principles and the wishes of the residents of municipalities.
We will not limit input to ActionSA voters or members but extend this to all residents who wish to make inputs. This is essential because, if ActionSA enters government, we will serve all people without regard for whether they vote for us.
ActionSA contested 6 municipalities with the principle that we would not be an opposition party. In all 6 of these municipalities, the ANC has been pulled under 50% and, in 3 municipalities the ANC has been pulled under 40% leaving coalitions wide open.
ActionSA encourages all residents of Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, KwaDukuza and Newcastle to engage in this process.
Issued by Herman Mashaba, President, ActionSA, 4 November 2021
