ActionSA President Herman Mashaba Roasted for Filling the Alexandra Potholes

• Herman Mashaba, the ActionSA president, launched his party's local government election campaign in johannesburg
• He took to the streets of Alexandra and campaigned by filling potholes after delivering a speech
• South Africans roasted his pothole-fixing campaign strategy, and said that he and his political party were jokes

With over seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist, offered insights into South African politics, national, provincial, and local governance, the Government of National Unity, political parties, and Parliament.

JOHANNESBURG — ActionSA president Herman Mashaba's recent tactic to garner votes for the upcoming 2026 local government elections received criticism when he filled potholes in Alexandra, Johannesburg, on 23 June 2025.

Herman Mashaba fills potholes

According to IOL, Mashaba was in Alexandra to campaign for the local elections, which will take place in 2026. Mashaba was on London Road. She was joined by high-ranking party members, including Tshwane mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya, Member of Parliament Athol Trollip, and ActionSA's national chairperson, Michael Beaumont.

Before filling some potholes, Mashaba said that Alexandra residents don't have access to refuse removal, electricity, functioning sanitation, or clean water. He said this is a daily violation of their basic human rights.

Local government is broken: Moya

Moya also spoke during the election campaign and slammed the current local government system.

"Every community, from Alexandra to Attridgeville, deserves dignity, delivery, and a government that shows up for them every single day. We are here because local government is broken and unless we fix it, South Africa will remain broken," she said.

Moya added that municipalities in South Africa have become places of despair. She said potholes impede driving, and water leakages are left unattended for weeks.

Recently, Mashaba was criticised on social media after he expressed a willingness to join the Government of National Unity. This was after the fallout between the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress over the budget speeches, of which two were rejected, had happened.

Mashaba also retracted statements of praise he made about DA Federal Chair Helen Zille. Former Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink shared a tweet dated 2019 where Mashaba had praised Zille.

South Africans are not impressed

Netizens, commenting on IOL's Facebook post, slammed Mashaba and ActionSA.

Thabo Masinga said:

"He thinks we are all from Bulawayo!"

Murray Olver said:

"The idiot in action. That's why he called his joker party ActionSA."

Michael Herbst said:

"The politician joke of the decade."

David Wileman said:

"Later, he will be filling his pockets."

Fanie Van Heerden said:

"Filling a pothole is not repairing a pothole. It's cadre enrichment because each hole will be done again with inferior product and the wrong method."

Herman Mashaba slams Afrikaner protesters

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Mashaba slammed Afrikaners who protested outside the United States embassy in Pretoria. This was after United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order granting Afrikaners refugee status.

Mashaba called the protesters traitors to the country. He questioned why they approached the United States government for assistance.

Source: Briefly News