By 
JOHANNESBURG — In what marks a psychological and symbolic blow to South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) ahead of the November local government elections, over 200 party members in Thembelihle, Ward 8, Lenasia, formally crossed the aisle to ActionSA on Thursday, exposing the deepening fracture between the ANC and its historic grassroots base.
The high-profile defection, received directly by ActionSA Johannesburg Mayoral Candidate Herman Mashaba and Regional Chairperson Themba Mabunda, underscores a growing exodus of former struggle loyalists disillusioned by decades of governance failures, systemic corruption, and unfulfilled socio-economic promises.
Speaking in the informal settlement south of Johannesburg, Mashaba framed the arrival of the new members not merely as a political victory, but as an indictment of Mayor Dada Morero’s administration and the broader municipal framework under ANC stewardship.
“The poor living conditions of residents in this community are no different to the neglect that is evident in townships and squatter camps such as Ivory Park, Alexandra, Soweto, and Orange Farm. Under the failed ANC government, the promise of an equal democracy for all remains elusive for the majority of South Africans.” — Herman Mashaba, ActionSA Mayoral Candidate
Human Toll of Misgovernance
The event laid bare the poignant human cost underlying South Africa’s municipal service delivery crisis. Community members recounted decades of neglect, sharing accounts that contrast sharply with official celebrations marking 32 years of democratic rule.
Among those who stepped forward was a former freedom fighter who went into exile at age 17 in pursuit of liberation, only to return in 1994 to face economic marginalization. Another resident, an elderly man living in a shack in Thembelihle since 1974, detailed how three generations of his family have remained trapped in systemic poverty without security of tenure or basic title deeds.
These testimonies reflect widespread grievances echoing across Johannesburg’s informal settlements, where access to basic sanitation, clean running water, reliable electricity, and formal employment remains severely constrained.
Battleground Johannesburg
With local government elections set for November 4, 2026, Johannesburg has emerged as a key battleground for opposition parties seeking to dismantle the ANC’s political stronghold. ActionSA, leveraging Mashaba’s prior tenure as Johannesburg mayor, is positioning itself as an executive alternative capable of restoring administrative efficiency, enforcing law and order, and catalysing urban economic recovery.
Political analysts note that defections of activist cadres from township branches represent a significant operational vulnerability for the ANC. Field mobilization in informal settlements like Thembelihle has historically served as the backbone of the party’s electoral defence.
As election campaigns intensify, the transition of long-standing loyalists to alternative opposition platforms signals that local voters are increasingly prioritizing tangible municipal service delivery over historical party allegiances.
