ActionSA KZN chairman Zwakele Mncwango has been announced as the party’s premier candidate in the province.
- ActionSA has announced Zwakele Mncwango as its premier candidate for KwaZulu-Natal.
- Mncwango and party leader Herman Mashaba have their eyes on government positions.
- Mncwango, however, conceded that they would need to form a coalition, and decisively ruled out the ANC as a potential partner.
As ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba announced that Zwakele Mncwango would be the party’s premier candidate in KwaZulu-Natal, he gave him the following instructions: “The first order of business is to work towards the removal of the ANC in this province.”
Mashaba added that Mncwango must mobilise support from other parties to change the name of the eThekwini municipality to honour recently departed IFP founding leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, whose home was in Ulundi, some 240km northwest of eThekwini.
In 2019, Mncwango was the DA’s premier candidate in the province. In October 2022, he resigned as a DA MPL in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, and subsequently left the party, joining ActionSA. He is now the party’s provincial chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal.
At the media conference to announce his candidature on Monday, Mncwango said he had taken a conscious decision to leave his position as an MPL and do the “dirty work” of building ActionSA in the province.
READ | KZN govt scrambles to poach funds from several programmes to host R20m SAMAs extravaganza
He and Mashaba are both bullish about the party’s prospects in next year’s elections.
“I’m not here to be in opposition next year, I’m here to be in government,” said Mncwango, tempering the statement by adding that he was realistic, and that they would need to go into coalition with other parties.
However, this would not be with the ANC.
He said:
The ANC is a criminal syndicate. The entire system is rotten and is beyond repair, so there is no way ActionSA will work with them.
Mncwango added that it was not a matter of if they would be in government, but when, and that they would move the KwaZulu-Natal legislature to Ulundi.
Mashaba said he would be “devastated” if ActionSA was not among the three biggest parties following next year’s election.
“We are not in this game to be in opposition,” he said, adding that he was not looking for a job as an MP.
“What can I achieve as a Member of Parliament?” he asked.
Education features prominently among Mncwango’s policy priorities.
‘I’m not here to nurse egos’
He said rural school pupils didn’t get the same quality of education as urban pupils.
He added that an ActionSA provincial government would do away with forcing politics on schools, and that principals and teachers would not be appointed based on their political affiliations, but on their skills.
Mncwango said the “shortage” of teachers in the province would be addressed, and their working conditions improved, as this caused “teachers to run away”.
Furthermore, they would ensure that pupils were safe in schools.
Mncwango also wants to extend the times when clinics are open.
“We must employ top-class health care services,” he said, adding that more doctors and nurses must be hired.
READ | ActionSA demands that ANC come clean after ‘private entity’ pays R1.7m towards party’s venue debt
He said such changes would not happen overnight, but promised the people of KwaZulu-Natal that there would be visible progress within five years.
Turning to corruption, Mncwango said they had to ensure that they “elect people with ethics, who are honest and have integrity”, and that they should have a proper vetting system.
“I’m not here to nurse egos,” he added.
“I want to say to Herman, the day he hears I have done something unethical, he must take me out. We will make sure corruption is declared enemy number of our government.”
‘His hard work is contagious’
Mncwango said politicians should be investigated and sent to jail if found guilty of any crimes, while whistleblowers had to be protected.
“Economic justice” would be a cornerstone of his government, he said, and they would put together a team to “ensure we grow our township economy”.
There would also be a “strong task team” to deal with illegal immigrants.
“We are saying as Action SA: South Africans first!”
Introducing Mncwango, Mashaba said: “I’m very, very proud of this brother.”
He added that Mncwango was sure to “shake up” KwaZulu-Natal.
“His hard work is contagious.”
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba.
Mncwango has been the thorn in the side of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal. He recently exposed that the provincial government was planning to invest R20 million to fund the South African Music Awards, even though this had not been budgeted for.
At first, the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs claimed that there was nothing “sinister” about the SAMA budget, but later announced that the province would be no longer hosting the glitzy awards.
Recent Comments