Today ActionSA will begin a series of engagements with more than 1400 aspiring candidates wishing to stand to serve their communities in Gauteng as Councillors after the 2021 local government elections.

It is immediately apparent, especially to ActionSA leaders who come from other political parties, that the caliber of these candidates is different to what we have experienced in the past. These were individuals driven to serve their communities and not party politics – something we welcome.

The process remains open for aspiring candidates to continue to register their interest in standing as potential Councillors by visiting https://www.actionsa.org.za/candidate/

The engagements will involve an extensive workshopping of our Candidate Selection Policy with all candidates, which starts a revolutionary candidate selection process – the first of its kind in South African politics.

While the full details will be revealed in due course, the broad principle relates to direct democracy by making members of the public being integral in the selection of candidates that will represent ActionSA on the ballot paper.

This poses a direct challenge to the ongoing trend of political parties taking the votes of South Africans and providing them with untalented, geriatric or inexperienced public representatives that satisfy the internal factional interests of the party, but ultimately doesn’t serve residents.

ActionSA’s candidate selection process will shortly be launched and will begin the fundamental shift of politics in South Africa. Over the next 8 weeks we will campaign for South Africans to join us in this effort to change South African politics.