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- ActionSA has announced its internal candidates who will contest for mayoral positions in three Gauteng metros.
- The party said it was also gunning for positions in more municipalities across the country.
- ActionSA's national chairperson said the mayoral candidates had to go through strict nomination processes.
ActionSA has its eyes set on gaining a foothold in municipalities across Gauteng and begun the process of nominating its mayoral candidates for the province's metros.
The party said it would host candidate selections over the weekend of 26 June when participating residents and party members will elect the party's ward and mayoral candidates.
"Each voter in each of the three Gauteng metros will receive two electronic ballot papers – one on which to elect the relevant ward candidate from a shortlist of three, and another one to elect the mayoral candidate.
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"Since the 10th of May, these candidates have been campaigning to become the official mayoral candidates in each of the metros and we look forward to seeing them kick their positive campaigns into a higher gear over the coming days," ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said.
On Tuesday, while briefing the media in Johannesburg, the party revealed that its mission was not to settle as an opposition party but to unseat the DA and ANC from power in Gauteng. Beaumont said he was confident of the mayoral candidates who had emerged through the party's candidate election nomination processes.
The party said the mayoral candidates had to go through strict vetting processes before being considered to represent the party in the upcoming local elections.
ActionSA's announcement follows their move to take the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to court over the Multiparty Democracy Fund (MPDF), which it claims will be for the benefit of only some political parties.
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"When it came to the selection of our mayor candidates, we conducted a shortlist exercise because we had many candidates who applied. We excluded candidates on the basis of having criminal records. They had to complete an affidavit confirming that they did not have a criminal record. They had to complete an affidavit indicating that they don't owe municipal debt. This is something we regard [as] very important," he said.
Some of the candidates are not new in politics and have either served as mayors, councillors or public servants at local government level.
They are:
The top three candidates contesting for the top spot in Ekurhuleni are:
- Lerato Ngobeni
- Letlhogonolo Moseki
- Eleanor Moropa.
In Johannesburg, the candidates vying for the top job are:
- Suraya Holt
- Lincoln Machaba
- Herman Mashaba.
In Tshwane, the top three candidates are:
- Morris Mahlaule
- Mmaphefo Shubane
- Abel Tau
Tau is the former acting mayor of Tshwane.
The party said it would "aggressively elevate its political ambitions" by trying to build its support base in other municipalities, including eThekwini, KwaDukuza and Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal.
Beaumont said:
Last month, party leader Herman Mashaba, who ruled out ever working with the ANC in a possible coalition for the local government elections in October, announced his decision to run as a candidate in ActionSA's mayoral candidate election.
