In a strongly worded press statement, Thoko Mashiane, ActionSA’s Mpumalanga Premier candidate, has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of using government resources for electioneering ahead of the 2024 polls. Ramaphosa is set to host an Imbizo (public participation program) in the struggling eMalahleni Municipality, a move Mashiane views as a ploy to campaign for the ANC.

“ActionSA views the President’s visit to eMalahleni Municipality as a ploy to campaign for the ANC using taxpayers’ resources,” Mashiane stated. She pointed to the ANC’s declining support in the 2021 local government elections, where the party secured only 35 seats while opposition parties combined for 33 seats.

eMalahleni Municipality has been plagued by mismanagement and corruption, according to Mashiane. A 2021 forensic investigation report detailing “massive corruption” has allegedly been ignored, with none of its recommendations implemented. The municipality is over R3 billion in debt, owes Eskom over R5 billion in unpaid electricity bills, and its water and wastewater treatment facilities fail to meet national standards.

Mashiane further cited the closure of major employers like Highveld Steel and Coca-Cola Shanduka Beverages, which resulted in thousands of job losses in the area.

“ActionSA represents all South Africans who are determined to set our country free from the restraints of a broken political system,” Mashiane declared, promising to prioritize service delivery and hold officials accountable through service standards charters if elected.

The scathing statement accuses the ruling ANC of using the Presidential Imbizo as a campaign platform ahead of the 2024 elections, calling on “the loving people of our beloved nation” to support ActionSA’s bid to “fix South Africa.”