ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says his party’s mayoral candidates will be expected to prioritise South Africans if they win municipal power in the upcoming local government elections.
Mashaba made the comments in KwaZulu-Natal over the weekend as ActionSA unveiled its mayoral candidates for eThekwini, KwaDukuza and Newcastle. The local government elections are scheduled for 4 November.
Mashaba said ActionSA would not send its mayoral candidates into municipalities to prioritise people outside South Africa. He said the party’s focus would be on serving South African communities and addressing their needs. He also said South Africans should become more self-sufficient rather than relying on assistance.
“We are not announcing mayors of the world to go and serve Harare, to go and serve Lagos, to go and serve Lahore… we are unapologetic as a political party. I am not in politics to serve the world. I am here to serve the people of South Africa.
“The world does not need to take care of us, we want South Africans to be self-sustainable… the only way you avoid hand-outs is that you ensure that you take care of yourself first and your family,” he said.
Herman Mashaba Says ActionSA Will Push For Illegal Immigration Action
Mashaba said ActionSA would use municipal power to put pressure on the national government over illegal immigration. He said the party would seek stronger measures once its candidates were in control of municipalities. Among those measures, he said, would be pressure for mass deportations.
“We are going to put pressure on national government to ensure that there is mass deportation of people that do not belong here. We are unapologetic about this,” he said.
The ActionSA leader linked his position to challenges facing South African municipalities, including unemployment and housing shortages. He said communities were already dealing with backlogs in basic services and housing. Mashaba argued that illegal immigration was adding to those pressures.
“When I was the mayor of Johannesburg, I was sitting with more than 300 000 housing backlog. I am sure the same applies here in KZN. I see how our people are living in squalor, but we have a government that says, ‘ No, we must take care of the world.
“And I am saying, no, I refuse. If I am the only South African refusing, then I am happy to, and you can call me names, you can call me whatever. Fortunate enough I have the constitution of the republic of South Africa on my side,” he said.
ActionSA’s Herman Mashaba Calls For Rule Of Law On Migration
Mashaba said his opposition to illegal immigration was not new and dated back to his time as Johannesburg mayor in 2016. He said he had previously been reported to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) over his stance. He maintained that South Africa’s laws should apply to people entering and staying in the country.
“Fortunate enough the constitution of this country is on our side, people cannot come into our country illegally, this country was built on the backs of migrants and for us as ActionSA we want people of the world to come and enjoy this beautiful country.
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“We want people of the world to come here as tourists, as investors, or whatever, but come and study here. We want them to come here legally, and when they are here, they must respect the laws of our country,” he said.
Herman Mashaba Says Ubuntu Should Not Override Immigration Law
Mashaba also addressed the principle of Ubuntu in relation to migration. He said South Africa should focus on enforcing its laws when dealing with illegal immigration rather than relying on appeals to Ubuntu. He called on ActionSA supporters to prioritise the rule of law.
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“I have said to South Africans, please, we have been abused for a long time that we must apply ubuntu, and I call upon all actioners across the country – we must suspend ubuntu for now; let us put priority on the rule of law.
“Every time there is an issue, they are saying no, we must have ubuntu. What about the ubuntu of 54% of South Africans? If we are applying the principles of ubuntu, why should we not start with South Africans?” he said.
