馃嚳馃嚘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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National Treasury has unfrozen funds for 42 municipalities, including the City of Johannesburg, and will release equitable share grants for 69 municipalities once they implement corrective financial measures. Deputy Minister of Finance Ashor Sarupen stated that the withholding of grants for municipalities flagged for issues like questionable financial decisions and unfunded budgets was not punitive, but aimed at encouraging behavioral correction. Municipalities must investigate fruitless, unauthorized, and irregular expenditure, ensure consequence management for fraud, and service debts to providers like Eskom and water boards. Sarupen noted that municipal debt to Eskom exceeds R100 billion. For municipalities claiming financial struggles, Treasury offers to release a portion of funds upon proof of payment to creditors, or upon signing credit agreements. The Deputy Minister emphasized that not holding municipalities accountable would lead to worse consequences for residents, such as reduced water pressure and load shedding. The mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, reportedly met with Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana to discuss the city's corrective actions, followed by an extraordinary council meeting to discuss disciplinary action against senior officials, aimed at demonstrating the city's commitment to addressing corruption and wasteful expenditure to the National Treasury.
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