ActionSA bets on unity as it prepares to merge with two political parties

ActionSA bets on unity as it prepares to merge with two political parties

For a party that once positioned itself as a disruptive new force in South African politics, ActionSA is now facing a moment of reckoning and reinvention.

On Monday morning, ActionSA will announce a merger with two other political parties, a move that signals both urgency and ambition as the country edges closer to another local government election cycle.

The announcement, expected around 9am, comes at a time when the party is grappling with shrinking national support, internal pressure to grow, and a crowded opposition landscape that has become increasingly unforgiving to smaller players.

A public show of consolidation

According to party spokesperson Matthew George, the merger is framed as part of a broader effort to build what ActionSA calls a “credible and united alternative” to South Africa’s dominant political forces.

In a political environment where voters are fatigued by fragmentation and coalition chaos, the party believes consolidation rather than competition, is the smarter survival strategy.

George said the move reflects ActionSA’s belief that defeating established parties will require opposition forces to pool resources, leadership and voter bases, instead of splitting them further.

Herman Mashaba front and centre

The announcement will be led by ActionSA president Herman Mashaba, joined by the party’s top leadership, including deputy president Dr Mbahare Kekana, national chairperson Michael Beaumont and national spokesperson Lerato Ngobeni.

The leaders of the two merging political parties are also expected to appear alongside ActionSA’s leadership, a symbolic show of unity meant to project stability and momentum.

Notably, the identities of the two parties have not yet been disclosed a detail that has fuelled speculation across political circles and social media.

From breakout success to electoral slide

ActionSA’s rise was swift. In the 2021 local government elections, the party made a strong debut, particularly in Johannesburg, where it secured more than 296,000 votes. That translated into over 16% of the city’s vote and 44 council seats a significant achievement for a relatively new party.

However, the momentum did not carry through to the 2024 national and provincial elections. ActionSA’s national support dropped sharply to just 1.2%, highlighting the difficulty of converting local-level appeal into sustained national growth.

While the party’s representation in the Johannesburg council remains unchanged until the next local elections in 2026, the decline has forced ActionSA to confront uncomfortable questions about relevance, reach and long-term viability.

Why smaller parties matter now

The merger announcement follows ActionSA’s stated intention, made earlier this year, to unite smaller opposition parties under one banner.

In January 2025, the party confirmed it would absorb Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD), a minor party that secured over 18,000 votes in the 2024 national elections. That move was widely seen as a test run for broader consolidation.

At the time, ActionSA leadership was clear that it did not see itself fitting neatly into either the Government of National Unity or the Progressive Caucus aligned with liberation movements. Instead, it positioned itself as an alternative bloc pragmatic, business-minded and opposition-focused.

Tension, timing and voter scepticism

The timing of Monday’s announcement is no accident. With local government elections expected later this year, smaller parties face the real risk of disappearing altogether if they fail to clear electoral thresholds or attract meaningful support.

On social media, reactions to the upcoming merger have been mixed. Some supporters see consolidation as overdue, arguing that South Africa’s opposition vote has been diluted for too long. Others are more sceptical, questioning whether mergers alone can fix deeper issues around messaging, grassroots mobilisation and trust.

Political analysts have also pointed out that mergers only work if they feel organic to voters not like desperate arithmetic aimed at survival.

A make-or-break moment

For ActionSA, this merger announcement is about more than numbers. It is an attempt to reset the narrative: from a party in decline to one capable of growth through collaboration.

Whether the move succeeds will depend heavily on which parties are joining, how seamlessly leadership structures are integrated, and whether voters see unity as strength or simply consolidation without conviction.

Monday’s announcement may not answer all those questions. But it will offer the clearest signal yet of how ActionSA plans to fight its way back into relevance in an increasingly ruthless political arena.

{Source: The Citizen}

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