🇿🇦South AfricaSouthern Africa
Herman Mashaba's evolving political messaging on X raises questions of consistency
via The Citizen1 min read
Joburg mayoral candidate and ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba's political messaging on social media platform X has shown a notable shift, particularly concerning the ANC and DA. In 2020, Mashaba strongly criticized the ANC, citing government failures, corruption, and deteriorating services. After the 2021 local government elections, he consistently advocated for excluding the ANC from coalitions. However, his stance appeared to soften after the 2024 national elections, with Mashaba expressing pride in a coalition involving the ANC, EFF, and ActionSA in Tshwane by early 2025. Concurrently, his tone towards the DA has become more critical. Once described neutrally, the DA is now frequently criticized, with Mashaba declaring its "moonshot pact is dead" and warning that a vote for the party could risk "apartheid in disguise." Netnographer Carmen Murray suggests these changes indicate a repositioning, creating a gap between policy and real-time messaging, which could undermine credibility if not grounded in facts. This strategy appears to target voters disillusioned with both major parties, positioning ActionSA between "ANC fatigue and DA scepticism."
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