Action taken to register new party

ActionSA has submitted its registration application as a political party to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), three weeks after its historic launch as the party to be established on a virtual platform and under the Covid-19 lockdown.

ActionSA president Herman Mashaba said the party began the registration process immediately after its launch on 29 August. The process included obtaining the mandatory 500 signatures of registered voters who support the establishment of the new party.

“I am pleased to say that our teams on the ground obtained the signatures of well over 1 000 registered voters within just a matter of hours. Our teams reported that they were inundated by the number of people who wanted to sign this important deed of foundation,” Mashaba said.

The IEC yesterday confirmed it had received ActionSA’s registered application from Mashaba and the party’s national chair, Michael Beaumont.

“The party is not registered yet, their application was received and is now under consideration,” the IEC said in a statement.

ActionSA was established by the former Johannesburg mayor, who resigned from the Democratic Alliance in protest of the election of Federal Council chair Helen Zille.

Mashaba set up the People’s Dialogue as a precursor to the new party and organised a public listening campaign for public views about the need for a political alternative and what the people needed from the government.

Before the ActionSA launch, Mashaba was joined by high-profile politicians, including former ANC MPs Dr Makhosi Khoza and Vytjie Mentor, as well as former Economic Freedom Fighters Gauteng leader Mandisa Mashego.

Mashaba said ActionSA would be registered as a political party at national level and across all nine provinces.

This was in line with the party’s goal to challenge for national power in the 2024 general elections.

The party will also contest the 2021 local government elections.

“Our registration is yet another milestone in this project to deliver a real alternative to the people of South Africa, who have been failed by their political system,” Mashaba said.

Their application was received and is now under consideration.

Electoral Commission of South Africa