Former ActionSA members in KwaZulu-Natal have started their own breakaway political party — Activists South Africa (ASA).
‘If you’re an activist, involved in your community, aware of the status quo and want to do something about it then it’s time to come together and let’s do our own thing,’ said Busi Ntshingila, ASA’s provincial chairperson.
Ntshingila is the former eThekwini regional chairperson of ActionSA. She resigned in July 2022 after becoming disillusioned with the party leadership. She likens ActionSA to the ANC.
Her time with ActionSA was her first foray into the world of politics in the country.
One of the core principles of the party would be to prioritise the views and opinions of activists in their respective communities, as they usually know better, said Ntshingila.
Ntshingila said ASA was mainly made up of former ActionSA members, but there were also people from other political parties.
The party launched on Saturday in Durban, having been planned since August.
Following a flurry of resignations, in August ActionSA disbanded its KZN executive committee.
Despite resigning under acrimonious circumstances, Ntshingila said ActionSA taught her a lot.
‘What I learned from ActionSA is that you can build something from nothing. We built ActionSA in KZN with no resources.’
Ntshingila said many of the members in ASA had strong community ties and they needed an outlet to continue their groundwork.
ASA is funded by its members, predominantly based in KZN.
The party will compete in the 2024 general elections and is targeting a minimum of five seats in the KZN legislature.
‘We need more people from SA saying I love my community and I am willing to stand up for it and I assure [people] that in 10 years our country will look very different.’