ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba states party mayors must prioritize South Africans, calls for mass deportation of illegal immigrants
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba announced that his party's mayoral candidates, if elected, must prioritize serving South Africans. Speaking in KwaZulu-Natal, where mayoral candidates for eThekwini, KwaDukuza, and Newcastle were introduced, Mashaba emphasized that ActionSA is focused on serving the people of South Africa, not other nations. He stated that the party is unapologetic about this stance and aims for South Africans to be self-sustainable. Mashaba indicated that after the 4 November local government elections, if ActionSA controls municipalities, they will pressure the national government to address illegal immigration, including advocating for mass deportation of individuals without legal status. He highlighted that South Africa faces significant backlogs in unemployment, housing, and other services, which he believes are exacerbated by illegal immigration. Mashaba recounted his experience as mayor of Johannesburg, where he dealt with a substantial housing backlog, and criticized the notion of prioritizing global needs over those of South Africans. He asserted that the South African constitution supports his position on illegal immigration. Mashaba also called for the suspension of the principle of Ubuntu in matters of illegal immigration, urging a focus on the rule of law instead, and questioning why Ubuntu should not first be applied to South Africans facing challenges.