ActionSA Leader Herman Mashaba Criticised for Asking Supporters to Donate R30 After R12.5m Biography Scandal

• ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has set tongues wagging after asking for donations for his parties election campaign
• The party claimed that R30 donations from supporters will help ActionSA compete with more established political parties
• South Africans have criticised Mashaba for asking for donations after he paid R12.5 million to have a book written about him

JOHANNESBURG - The much anticipated 2024 general elections are around the corner, and ActionSA has already started its election campaign off with a bang.

Party leader Herman Mashaba took to social media to make an impassioned plea to the public and ActionSA supporters to fund the party's campaign with R30 donations.

ActionSA launches find raising campaign to compete with bigger political parties

ActionSA National Chairperson Micheal Beaumont said that the money raised in the campaign would help the party compete with well-established parties in the impending elections, TimesLIVE reported.

Read also

Hawks arrest 13 after R36 million stolen from Zimbabwean businessman’s account after he died in car crash

While Mashaba said that the donations formed part of an initiative to empower South Africans to make a difference, the fundraising bid left a sour taste in the mouths of many citizens.

Some people decided to call Mashaba out for asking South Africans for donations after he dropped R12.5 million for his controversial biography.

One social media user, @Petar_DRC, asked:

"No money left after paying for the book?"

Herman Mashaba criticised for paying R12.5m for "unauthorised biography"

Mashaba came under fire after it was revealed that he paid Political analyst Prince Mashele very handsomely to write about him.

The controversy stemmed from the fact that the book was marketed as an unauthorised and independent critique of the ActionSA leader, which many questioned since Mashaba funded the project.

Read also

Limpopo tavern gunmen kill 2 and wound 6 in devastating shooting, police launch high-level investigation

Jonathan Ball Publishers subsequently pulled the books from shelves following the revelations about how it was financed, News24 reported.

South Africans criticise Herman Mashaba for asking for donations

Below are some comments:

@Marttwit said:

"Donate R30 to a guy who pays R12.5 million for an “unauthorised” hagiography? Sure, why not?"

@LifeofPiLuckan calculated:

"R12.5 million divide by R30 is 410 000 donations…"

@DerrickSeraga speculated:

"Ok, Herman Mashaba was robbed by Mashele skebenga R12.5 million, but instead of asking Mashele to pay him back, he asked Actionsa supporters to pay him back."

@IamBhekifa3 questioned:

"You want to bless Prince Mashele with our money?"

@ImOuttaNames2 suggested:

"Never. I'd rather throw the money in a dustbin than give agents of magoa. Use your R12,5 million from Prince Mashele to fund your stokvel."

ActionSA disputes Herman Mashaba engaged in dodgy dealings by paying author R12.5m to write biography

In another story, Briefly News reported that ActionSA closed ranks around its party leader Herman Mashaba amid the backlash surrounding the "unauthorised" biography about him.

Read also

DJ Sbu partners with local brand to power up South African libraries and support Mzansi students during exams

Questions have arisen about where the book was, in fact, an independent political critique of Mashaba after it was revealed that the ActionSA leader paid Prince Mashele R12.5 million to pen the biography.

Coming out in defence of Mashaba, ActionSA National Chairperson Micheal Beaumont said the speculation about whether Mashaba engaged in dodgy dealing has no basis, SABC News reported.

Source: Briefly News