"Congrats to ActionSA": Mzansi is Proud of the Party for Overtaking the ANC in Some Parts of Soweto

• ActionSA, which is headed by former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba, seems to be picking up support in the city
• The newly-formed political organisation appears to be on the verge of overtaking the African National Congress in Joburg townships
• The ruling party lost a lot of support from Soweto residents, who decided to march to Luthuli House in protest instead of voting

JOHANNESBURG - For a first-time political organisation, Herman Mashaba and his party ActionSA seem to be gaining support in the City of Johannesburg metro.

Mashaba formed the party after having a falling with the Democratic Alliance, which led the ActionSA leader to leave his post as the executive mayor of Joburg and terminate his DA membership.

While the party might be new, ActionSA has been able to steal support from the African National Congress' Johannesburg townships such as Soweto, according to News24.

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Election analyst Dawie Scholtz says the ANC may see overall voter support at 55% instead of 70% and this shift will be heavily impacted by ActionSA.

Current projections show that the party is averaging between 15% and 20% in Johannesburg and neighbouring townships, however, it should be noted that as vote tallying continues, these numbers could change.

ActionSA seems to be a strong contender to become the majority party based on votes tallied at Protea Glen Primary School and at Protea Glen Primary School wards.

Soweto residents opt out of elections, demand service delivery from the ANC

The ANC's failure to garner support from the Soweto township could be linked to low voter turnout. Residents had made the decision to boycott local government elections.

According to IOL, instead of casting their votes, Soweto residents headed to Luthuli House to hand over their grievances to the ruling party.

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Residents had a long list of issues they wanted the ANC to address, which included housing. Residents stated that they would not vote unless the ANC signed their memorandum.

South Africans react to ActionSA's success at the polls

Many South Africans seem to be proud of the newcomer political organisation ActionSA for managing to secure enough support.

Here's what they had to say:

@ThatGuy79835651 said:

"Now it's all eyes on you cause everybody loves the underdog. And when you make it to the top that's when they tryna see you fall. Congrats to Action SA, they should be prepared for media attacks and standstill."

@DreamerSib said:

"We have to realistic ActionSA is going well for new party that was formed during a pandemic and for local elections. DA and EFF should be competing with ANC not ActionSA. #ElectionResults2021"

@Brother_Mike__ said:

"Back in the days, we believed in COPE, now it has fallen off. Now it’s ACTIONSA. I hope it doesn’t follow the same path."

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@mwsenyolo said:

"The #ANC is in a complete state of decline. No turning back from here. The only saving grace is the poor quality of opposition. If there was a proper opposition ANC will be buried now. I really hope that #ActionSA will manage to grow the party into a proper opposition."

ANC and ActionSA are the most popular parties in Soweto, according to the community

Briefly News previously reported that Soweto residents are split between the ANC and ActionSA in today's municipal election. Many retain their loyalty to the ruling party while others hope that Action SA will fill in gaps left by the ANC.

An example of this is the difference in opinion between 79-year-old Maria Motale and businesswoman Lerato Ndlovu. Both live in Soweto but Motale is a firm ANC supporter, while Ndlovu believes ActionSA will provide more than the ruling party.

She has reasoned that by voting for ActionSA, people can move power away from the ANC. In Ndlovu's view, if Herman Mashaba becomes mayor of Johannesburg again, then the city will flourish.

Source: Briefly News