ACTIONSA leader Herman Mashaba has announced the party’s 2024 elections premier candidates for the Eastern Cape, Free State and Mpumalanga in Joburg, Tuesday, 13 February.
Mashaba said the candidates they are announcing embody the value of ethical leadership, which ActionSA founded three and a half years ago.
He further said they represent the calibre of leadership needed to turn around their respective provinces.
He introduced Thoko Mashiane as the premier candidate in Mpumalanga.
Mashiane is a former municipal manager and a former provincial women’s leader of the ruling party.
Mashaba said she has, over the past few months, proven herself able to quickly build structures in Mpumalanga and has been able to reach far-flung regions of the province.
“She brings with her governance expertise in a province which has been plagued by a breakdown in the rule of law, including open borders, unreliable service delivery and where the poorest have fallen victim to the VBS scandal,” he said.
He also announced Patrica Kopane as the Free State Premier Candidate.
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Kopane served as a shadow minister of health and was on the portfolio committee of health in the national assembly.
He said in a province where state capture crippled the state, Kopane will be able to bring the practical solutions necessary to restore frontline service delivery to improve the lives of all residents living in the province.
“During her time in parliament, she has proven herself as a true corruption buster – something which the Free State sorely needs,” said Mashaba.
In the Eastern Cape, Mashaba announced Athol Trollip as their premier candidate.
“As the former mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, he brings with him an invaluable understanding of governance in a province which has been hallowed out by the ruling party.
“He knows how to run an administration efficiently and will, therefore, be able to hit the ground running to fix the province,” he said.
The ActionSA leader said their plan was to announce the Western Cape candidate too, but in consultation with the Western Cape Provincial Executive Committee (PEC), they took the decision last to postpone the announcement and do it alongside the announcement of our Gauteng candidate.
“In the Western Cape, there's a great chance that ActionSA will be part of the provincial government after the upcoming elections. It is, therefore, important that the opportunities presented by the PEC should not be ignored,” he said.
