ActionSA Launches Election Manifesto With Crime and Law Enforcement at Centre

• ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba launched the party's local government election manifesto in Johannesburg ahead of the November 4 polls
• The party placed law enforcement and crime prevention at the heart of its municipal strategy, targeting gangs, infrastructure theft, and hijacked buildings
• ActionSA also outlined plans to use municipal powers alongside SAPS and Home Affairs to tackle undocumented migration and organised crime

JOHANNESBURG — ActionSA has placed crime prevention and law enforcement at the centre of its campaign for the November 4 Local Government Elections, pledging to confront what the party describes as entrenched lawlessness in South African municipalities.

According to SABC News, party leader Herman Mashaba unveiled the manifesto at a launch event in Johannesburg, arguing that restoring public order is a non-negotiable precondition for functional service delivery and renewed public trust in local government.

Mashaba's plan to reclaim urban spaces

Central to ActionSA's platform is a commitment to deploy adequately trained and equipped municipal law enforcement officers into high-risk urban areas, with the stated goal of pushing criminal syndicates and gangs out of public spaces. The party has also pledged to strengthen municipal courts so that by-law violations are prosecuted consistently rather than routinely dropped.

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ActionSA's strategy targets three specific problems it says are crippling local government capacity: infrastructure theft, illegal utility connections, and buildings that have been unlawfully occupied and taken over by criminal networks. The party argues that until these issues are addressed directly, municipalities will remain unable to deliver basic services effectively.

Tackling undocumented migration through coordination

On undocumented migration, ActionSA outlined a coordinated approach that would see municipalities use their regulatory authority alongside the South African Police Service and the Department of Home Affairs to enforce immigration legislation and dismantle organised crime networks linked to illegal migration.

Mashaba used the occasion to challenge what he characterised as a dangerous acceptance of disorder in South African public life, insisting that residents should not treat crime and municipal decay as unavoidable features of urban living. He maintained that firm governance and consistent policing are the tools required to reverse that normalisation.

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ActionSA contested the 2021 local government elections for the first time, winning seats in several major metros. The November 4 polls will test whether the party's law-and-order message can translate into broader municipal gains.

Mashaba rejects Mudzinganyama's apology

In a related article, Briefly News reported on Mashaba’s rejection of Zimbabwean businessman Lawrence Mudzinganyama’s apology after a confrontation with women at a Sandton restaurant. The incident has prompted divided reactions on social media and renewed scrutiny of Mudzinganyama’s conduct.

Mudzinganyama was filmed threatening to shoot and kill women who had rejected his advances, before claiming he could afford to buy the restaurant. His apology followed his arrest and release, while a separate probe into his company’s SANRAL tenders added further public interest to the controversy.

Source: Briefly News