By Akani Nkuna
ActionSA has unveiled nine commitments aimed at strengthening municipalities, including restoring financial discipline, as the party launched its 2026 Local Government Elections manifesto on Saturday, outlining its priorities for improving governance and service delivery across municipalities.
Party leader and Johannesburg Mayoral Candidate, Herman Mashaba outlined the manifesto at the launch in Johannesburg City Hall highlighting that municipalities cannot deliver reliable services if it fails to properly manage its finances as pledged that ActionSA will prioritise the restoration of financial discipline whilst also growing municipalities revenue base.
“Municipal spending must deliver real value to the community itself. That means adopting credible fully funded budgets, cutting wasteful spending, setting fair and sustainable rates and tarrifs, implementing credible financial recovery plans and improving metering and billing systems so that residents are charged accurately,” he said.
ActionSA top brass along hundreds of supporters gathered in Johannesburg to witness the party’s LGE 2026 manifesto launch as the November 4 election date draws nearer. The launch was attended by many of the party’s mayoral and councillor candidates as party leader discharged the ultimate marching orders.
Mashaba also said that ActionSA will establish a professional government that works for all residents as a he took a jab at the Democratic Aliiance’s-led provincial government which he said delivers services to affluent communities while ignoring townships where most black and poor people live.
He said that ActionSA will act firm against corrupt officials and all forms of criminality within municipal structures, adding that the party will introduce systems to combat corruption whilst heightened transparency at executive level to ensure that every cent of public funds is accounted for.
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“Where we govern, we will make tenders and contracts more transparent. We will investigate any suspicious conduct and protect whistle-blowers who have the courage to speak out. When corruption is proven, there will be harsh consequences and where resident’s money has been stolen, we will fight to recover it,” said Mashaba.
ActionSA commitment to create a society where safety and the rule of law prevails, with Mashaba saying that the party leaders that will assume office post the elections are under a directive to increase law enforcement presence on the ground with focus to areas highly affected ny gangerstarism and criminality.
Mashaba reiterated the party’s commitment to combat illegal immigration, outlining that ActionSA will undertake a collaborative approach with relevant national departments including Home Affairs and South African Police Services (SAPS) to address illegal immigration challenges.
He also emphasised that the party will seek partnerships with businesses to ensure continuity of skills development amongst young people across the country and further enhancing economic growth.
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“We will rebuild our CBDs and town centers by tackling derelict hijacked buildings, improving safety, cleaning our streets and restoring reliable services. And this for us as ActionSA is not negotiable,” Mashaba said.
Mashaba conceded to the prospect of coalition government in many of the country’s municipalities after the elections, saying that ActionSA is cordial to the idea of forming a coalition government with every party that aligned with its ideas of service delivery and restoration of municipalities but noted that the party.
However, he said that ActionSA will not bind itself to coalition agreements and conditions before the elections, and that the party will take a firm stance on its policies and principles which it will not compromise to secure political office.
“We will not enter into any pre-election conditions. We are going to contest elections on our own values, policies and records. We are going to ask South Africans for support and hope that they are going to give us outright majority in some municipalities,” Mashaba said.
In a separate interview with Inside Metros ahead of the launch of the Inside Metros podcast, Mashaba admitted that its disclosure of pre elections conditions for coalition as well as the perception that a vote for Action SA represents a vote for the DA cost the party dearly in Soweto.
He now says ahead of this year’s elections, the party has won ground in the area, with entire households in pockets or residential areas declaring themselves to be Action SA households.
In the same interview, Mashaba said local government share of national revenue that is currently given through the Equitable Share Grant mus be drastically raised from the current level of 8% and pointed to provinces as possible sources of ineffeciency and targeted from likely redistibution.
The Inside Metros Podcast launches on October 1
