ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has condemned the persistent lack of reliable basic services in Alexandra, calling it a clear sign of government failure. The party officially launched an intensive nationwide campaign today aimed at addressing systemic issues in local governance, with the event held in Alexandra—a community the party claims has been long neglected.
Speaking at the campaign launch, Mashaba emphasized the dire conditions faced by residents, including unreliable access to clean water, electricity, refuse removal, and proper sanitation. “Communities like this one across South Africa continue to be left behind,” he said. “This is not merely a developmental failure; it is a daily violation of the basic human rights enshrined in our Constitution.”
Mashaba, a former mayor of Johannesburg, stated that he entered politics to confront the collapse of local government, which he described as one of the greatest threats to South Africa’s democracy. “Local government is the sphere closest to the people, yet it is where mismanagement, incompetence, and corruption are most acutely felt,” he said.
He cited the recent water crisis in Hammanskraal, where residents were forced to drink contaminated water due to government inaction, as an example of systemic failure. ActionSA’s campaign, he said, is rooted in the belief that local government should serve all communities with dignity—whether in townships, informal settlements, suburbs, or rural villages.
“We believe in a local government that works—where excuses are replaced with action,” Mashaba declared. “Where we fix what’s broken, clean what’s dirty, and build what is needed without delay.”
The campaign signals ActionSA’s intensified focus on local governance ahead of upcoming elections, positioning itself as a party committed to tangible solutions for South Africa’s service delivery crisis.