ActionSA represents all South Africans who are determined to set our country free from the restraints of a broken political system and mend our painful past to build an inclusive, prosperous, non-racial and secure future for all its people.
We seek to unite the good, hard-working, law-abiding, community-oriented and freedom-loving people of our beloved nation behind the project of fixing South Africa.
The time for talking is over; to achieve our vision for an inclusive and prosperous South Africa, it is now time for action!
Our vision for an inclusive and prosperous South Africa:
Imagine a future South Africa where our country is healed from its painful past. A South Africa defined by hope and prosperity, a country that its people are proud to call their home. A nation where race, gender, sexuality or any other demographic factors are no longer an indication of the barriers people are likely to face in life. All citizens live in dignity, with equal opportunities for upward mobility.
This is a South Africa that has reclaimed its position among the leading developing economies of the world. It has been freed from the grip of corruption, and is led by an ethical, competent and efficient government and civil service that puts the needs of residents ahead of their narrow political agendas.
In this South Africa led by ActionSA:
Our economy will be resilient and grow equitably, providing access to economic opportunity for all and allowing business to grow unimpeded by over-regulation. Inequality will be ever decreasing, and all South Africans will be genuine counterparts in a dynamic and vibrant economy.
A pro-poor government will deliver reliable basic services, quality healthcare, and sufficient social assistance to those in need so that our most marginalised and vulnerable people receive the assistance they require.
People will feel safe in their homes, knowing that the root causes of crime are addressed and that the South African Police Service is capable of protecting them. Everyone will be treated equally before the law, and crimes will be prosecuted fairly, without fear or favour.
Strong, healthy and caring communities will take care of each other and will partner effectively with government to provide social stability. We will respect and celebrate our diversity and all contribute our strengths towards building a brighter future for all.
Our people have access to quality education that empowers future generations by providing them with the skills required to live a life of their choosing – starting with a foundation phase education that empowers children to be life-long learners.
All citizens will be empowered to exercise the full extent of their Constitutional rights and freedoms. Everyone will have access to reliable and affordable services such as water, sanitation, housing and healthcare.
Our people will be proud to call this place their home, and we will all live and work together in a spirit of ubuntu to ensure that our country keeps moving forward.
Achieving this vision will take a concerted effort from leaders with a pragmatic, yet progressive, long-term plan to fix South Africa. ActionSA’s Solutions Blueprints is the roadmap to this vision, but we will be ready to share our detailed policy platforms with South Africa after our policy conference, to be held in the third quarter of 2023.
Herman Mashaba Shares Our Vision of The South African Dream
What We Believe
Our Vision for South Africa is guided by our beliefs about our country, our people, our society, our economy and our political system.
Our Country
Our People
Our Society
Our Economy
Our Political System
Our Country
Democratic South Africa inherited a historically imposed legacy of dehumanising the majority of our people, and thus a fundamentally broken society. The ruling party has failed in its duty to reverse the damage caused by centuries of racial oppression.
Despite the our historical legacy, South Africa and its people are filled with promise and potential. We are a country blessed with vast natural and human capital. Yet, modern-day South Africa is now held back by the inept, the criminal and the corrupt.
The progress we made in the early days of our democracy are being reversed. Corruption and mismanagement have eroded our standing amongst the leading nations of the world and undermined our efforts to build a more just and inclusive society.
We must restore the moral leadership on which our democracy was founded and become a bastion of human rights, liberties and freedoms, both in Africa and for the world.
Our People
South Africans are proud, capable and resilient people. We care deeply about our country and desire to see it work for all those who call it home.
Despite the challenges we face, South Africans recognise our collective potential and believe that hope is not lost.
We are a social and family-oriented people who value our communities. Strong families, however they are composed, provide social stability and support.
The vast majority of our people value diversity and are committed to achieve the dream of a prosperous, equal and fair nation. We consider our diversity one of our greatest assets.
The majority of South Africans are law-abiding and peaceful people who want work to together to fix South Africa and see our country achieve sustained progress.
Our Society
We have made progress as a society, but we have not yet achieved the founding provisions of non-racialism and non-sexism contained in our Constitution.
Ours is one of the most unequal societies in the world. The rights and freedoms afforded to all South Africans in our Bill of Rights are not equally shared by all.
We recognise that after nearly three decades of democracy, a strong correlation remains between race and socio-economic standing, and remains a primary determinant of the future prospects of many South Africans. We have an obligation to address this historical legacy.
We must dedicate ourselves to the eradication of all forms of discrimination, prejudice and injustice and actively work to build fair, just and inclusive society.
Our Economy
For centuries, our economy was built to benefit a racial minority, resulting in a structurally flawed economy that was never intended to provide prosperity for all. Little has been done in our democratic era to address these structural flaws.
Slow economic growth, endemic levels of high unemployment, and the legacy of Apartheid-era spatial planning and a lack of access to efficient and affordable transport are entrenching inequality, and thus destroying the social fabric of our society.
Inclusive economic growth that creates jobs is vital to addressing the legacy of our past. This can only be achieved by building a prosperous, growing, sustainable and competitive economy that provides meaningful employment and opportunities to more South Africans.
South Africans are innovative and share a commitment to fixing the country we all call home. Our innovation is our greatest advantage and should be used in service of our nation.
South Africans believe in the value of hard work. Employment provides more than just an income, it provides South Africans with a sense of purpose and dignity.
Our Political System
The lack of accountability in our political system has eroded ethical leadership and made corruption and mismanagement endemic in our systems of government.
The lack of direct representation has resulted in politicians being more loyal to the interests of their political parties, than the people who elected them.
The separation between party and state has been blurred by the governing party’s policy of cadre deployment and prioritising nepotism, cronyism and political connections over merit and competence. Political profiteering, not serving the people, is the order of the day.
These failures has led to opportunistic political leaders seeking to divide our people and exploit our fears to maintain political power.
We need to act to restore ethical leadership in our government, improve accountability and build a professional civil service that serves the people of South Africa.
South Africa is being held back from reaching its potential:
South Africans are all too familiar with the many challenges we face – lawlessness, crumbling public infrastructure, persistent load-shedding, rampant unemployment, inequality and an education system that does not empower young people with the skills they need to succeed.
Our Vision for South Africa necessitates addressing the key constraints that prevent us from making progress toward an inclusive and prosperous future for all.
Morally Bankrupt Leadership
Service Delivery Failures
A Broken and Exclusionary Economy
Policy Confusion and Uncertainty
The Rise of Lawlessness
Morally Bankrupt Leadership
Our democracy inherited a broken society from the Apartheid-regime, but by virtue of their election through a free and fair democratic process, the current governing party accepted the mandate to lead all South Africans and uphold the values of our Constitution.
The current governing party has however abandoned their constitutional obligations to the people of South Africa. They have actively promoted immoral, corrupt, divisive and incompetent leadership and forsaken the spirit of ubuntu in favour of self-preservation, political profiteering, patronage and rent-seeking.
The current governing party has repeatedly demonstrated that they make decisions in the interest of their party, and not the South Africa people. This has led to the breakdown of our institutions, rendering the government entirely incapable of meeting its mandate.
Service Delivery Failures
The current governing party’s approach of focusing on equality of outcomes rather than on equality of opportunity has been wholly unable to reverse the inequality caused by the Apartheid-regime, and in some instances increased disparity.
While gains have been made in expanding access to basic services, our government has been unable to provide everyone the basic and quality services they require to live a life of dignity and to have the prospect of upward mobility.
Inequality has grown over the past three decades, and access to opportunities continues to manifest along racial lines.
The almost complete break-down of the country’s railway infrastructure, and lack of public transport alternatives have kept the poor from accessing opportunities while entrenching inequality.
Without access to quality education, healthcare, housing, safety and nutrition, millions of South Africans are left without hope of escaping poverty.
A Broken and Exclusionary Economy
The exclusionary and discriminatory nature of the economy built by the Apartheid-regime under international isolation has not been reversed despite numerous efforts the past 30 years.
This has been perpetuated by a poor education system that continues to disproportionately disadvantage black South African children.
Our economic infrastructure such as our railways and ports are crumbling, our industries and homes are without electricity for hours every day, and little has been done to remove the barriers to economic opportunity for those that were traditionally excluded from the mainstream economy.
Due to the lack of basic service delivery, draconian labour laws, and the stranglehold that trade unions have over our government, our labour force productivity is constrained while government’s over-regulation is stifling private sector innovation and inhibiting the creating of sufficient job opportunities.
Save for an increasingly concentrated corporate minority, South African companies simply cannot compete on the international stage, and the cost of doing business is ever increasing – leaving our country behind in the global race for economic competitiveness.
Policy Confusion and Uncertainty
The hope for an explosion of opportunity for all South Africans after the fall of Apartheid has not been realised.
The current governing party policies have been driven by a confused combination of capitalist, socialist and communist ideologies, driven by political expediency and self-enrichment rather than rationality. This has left our economy rudderless.
The government policies have been anti-poor, unable to spur job creation or ignite innovation while at the same time entrenching monopolies.
Additionally, the link between policy and implementation is non-existing, resulting in an inefficient allocation of resources and inadequate outcomes.
The Rise of Lawlessness
South Africa has one of the highest levels of crime in the world. Law-abiding citizens live in fear while criminals operate with impunity.
Increasing economic inequality, a lack of opportunity, poor service delivery and corruption are all contributing to a growing feeling of hopelessness and the deterioration of the rule of law in South Africa.
The feeling of hopelessness have given rise to drug and liquor abuse in our communities, which leads to increasing levels of gangsterism, gender-based violence, theft and murder.
South African courts are overburdened, and correctional services fail to rehabilitate criminals that have been sent to prison. The resulting rise in lawlessness, crime and violence undermine our social stability and economic potential.
Our security forces, from the department of home affairs to the state security agency, have abdicated their roles in keeping our people safe, leading to a borderless nation where our own public servants ignore our laws and communities take the rule of law into their own hands.
Greed and corruption in the state and private sector are amongst the greatest obstacles to overcoming the legacy of our past. Combined with rising crime, it is damaging our nation’s international reputation and eroding business confidence.
Our values and guiding principles:
Removing the key constraints to an inclusive and prosperous future for all South Africans requires that we are guided by non-negotiable values and principles. Accordingly, ActionSA’s core values and principles are aimed at giving effect to the rights and freedoms enshrined in the South African Constitution.
Non-Racialism
Economic Prosperity
Social Justice
Respect for the Rule Of Law
Quality Education for All
Ethical Leadership & Public Service
Political Accountability
Non-Racialism
South Africa must be a country where people’s potential to thrive is based on their ingenuity and hard work, regardless of the colour of their skin.
While we strive for a non-racial South Africa, we cannot deny the correlation between race and the access to opportunity for upward mobility. We must overcome this injustice.
We reject the failed policies of Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) which have enriched a few, as implemented by the current governing party. Breaking the cycle of racial inequality requires that we take action to implement real and substantive policies aimed at improving equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome.
South Africans must challenge racism in all its forms and pro-actively work to break down racial stereotypes and racial prejudice.
Economic Prosperity
We support a competitive, market-based economy with minimal government interference. We see entrepreneurs and the private sector as a valued and trusted partners in our efforts to create jobs, improve livelihoods and reduce inequality.
The role of government is not to create jobs, but to create a conducive environment in which businesses can grow and provide meaningful employment and dignity to more South Africans, and to assist those who cannot help themselves.
Social grants are necessary to protect the most vulnerable in our society, but we must work hard to give those on social welfare, and are able to work, the means to take control of their own futures.
The best way to achieve broader participation in the economy is not through race-based policies that favour politically connected elites, but through improving the ease of doing business for entrepreneurs and removing the barriers to entry.
We will provide incentives to the private sector to ensure that greater diversity is achieved in the private sector, and previously disadvantaged groups such as women are included.
Bureaucratic red tape and draconian labour laws are hurdles to unlocking economic potential. Economic policy must be overhauled to reduce the cost of doing business and incentivise private sector investment.
Social Justice
The painful legacy of our past has been perpetuated by the post-democratic government. Too many South Africans still live without access to quality education, basic services, public transport and proper housing. This must change.
Social justice can only be achieved by empowering those that have previously been excluded from opportunity by removing barriers that prohibit the equal exercise of rights and privileges.
Achieving a just society should be focussed on achieving equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. Everyone must be empowered to compete on equal footing, but outcomes should be determined by individual capabilities.
We will take action for Social Justice through a pro-poor governance agenda that will ensure that the most vulnerable in our society – the Forgotten People – can live a life of dignity.
Spatial planning that removes the poor from opportunities should actively be addressed through inner city housing programmes, reliable public transportation and developing township economies.
Land reform must be accelerated. Land must be redistributed in a fair manner. This can be achieved within the existing legislative framework; we just need the political will and competent leadership to execute its provisions.
Respect for the Rule Of Law
No country can flourish and no economy can grow in a state of chaos. We must build a safe and secure South Africa where criminals cannot act with impunity.
Tackling crime and violence in South Africa requires addressing the underlying socio-economic drivers of crime while ensuring that a capable Criminal Justice System prosecutes all offenders.
Greed and corruption in the state and private sector is the greatest obstacle to overcoming the legacy of our past. We must act against corruption and declare it as Public Enemy Number 1.
Crime and violence undermine our social stability and economic confidence. We must overhaul our Criminal Justice System and empower our Law Enforcement Agencies to ensure that it is criminals, and not law-abiding citizens, that live in fear.
We must act against gender-based violence, and provide support to the victims of crime in our communities.
Our immigration system must be overhauled to attract skilled migrants, while clamping down on the influx of undocumented migrants through our porous borders. The failures of Home Affairs undermines the rights of South African nationals and foreigners alike.
Quality Education for All
The truest path toward economic empowerment and a more equal distribution of economic prosperity in South Africa is through ensuring access to quality education for all.
Quality education will unlock South Africa’s economic potential and reduce inequality by ensuring that all South Africans have the opportunity to succeed in life.
All South Africans should be able to access a quality education – from early childhood development centres to tertiary education – no matter who they are, where they live, or what they earn.
Our education system must teach critical thinking and entrepreneurial skills that will empower young people to be active participants in the economy.
Classrooms should never be seen as political playgrounds. We must act as one against the politicization of the education system and break the stranglehold of unions.
Ethical Leadership & Public Service
South Africa is being held back by unethical leadership and unqualified public servants. State capture, the looting of public resources and the normalisation of public sector corruption has diverted funds away from efforts to address the legacy of our past.
We must build a dynamic, efficient and citizen orientated public service that serves the interests of the South African people.
We must professionalise the public sector. Appointments should be based on merit, competence and a commitment to ethical service.
The public service should be protected from political interference, while public servants are embolden to act in the best interest of citizens.
Our public administration must always prioritise evidence-driven and participatory decision- making, and not populist reactions that are politically expedient.
Political Accountability
Single party dominance has undermined our hard-won democracy and allowed corruption to become entrenched at all levels of government.
The Party List System prioritises representation in the Legislative arm of government at the expense of direct accountability. The Party List system serves the interest of career politicians over the interests of the people.
South Africans should have a direct say in electing their Public Representatives through a mixed electoral system that combines proportional representation with a constituency-based system.
While we continue to advocate for Electoral Reform, our party will practice this by adopting a Primary Election system where people can directly elect our candidates for public office.
Toward the South African Dream - our plans for SA:
South African income inequality is amongst the highest in the world. Half of South Africa’s adult population lives below the poverty line, 39.7% of working-age South Africans are without employment, and only four out of ten South Africans under 35 are employed. This, in no uncertain terms, is a national crisis and urgent action is non-negotiable.
The architects of Apartheid reprehensibly constructed the classification of people into race groups, and the legacy of that racial classification remains a significant determinant in an individual’s economic and social prospects in South Africa today.
South Africa remains one of the most unequal countries in the world. The post-democratic government has not only failed to address the painful legacy of our past, but has in fact deepened inequality.
ActionSA’s inaugural policy conference, where hundreds of delegates will come together from all nine provinces, to deliberate over a set of thought-provoking and inspirational solutions aimed at realising our South African Dream – ActionSA’s vision for an inclusive and prosperous South Africa, took place from 12 – 14 September.
Over the course of these three days, South Africans witnessed the most diverse and fastest-growing political party in the country, developing a solutions blueprint for their country.