No work, no seat! – ActionSA fires slack councillors

Herman Mashaba

Cape Town – ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has confirmed the dismissal of seven councillors in Johannesburg, two in Ekurhuleni, and two in Tshwane for failing to meet their performance targets.

According to The Citizen, he said the councillors were given KPIs in September 2023 and extended deadlines to improve, but some did not even reach 10% of their targets.

Mashaba stressed that non-performing councillors would be replaced with committed activists who engage communities and have constituencies.

He said the move is meant to show South Africans that ActionSA holds its representatives accountable, as many residents have complained about councillors’ lack of delivery.

“Our people on the ground are complaining about councillors that are not working, they are not accountable for the task and the assignment that they have been given. We have given them enough time. They had about a year to perform and, if I had it my way, the original end date of their contract, which was May, should have applied,” the report quoted Mashaba as saying.

The removals, initially planned for earlier this year, were postponed but have since been finalised, IOL reported.

ActionSA has indicated that further dismissals may follow in municipalities such as Ekurhuleni and Tshwane, forming part of a wider internal performance review.

“ActionSA unapologetically performance manages if a public representative and the fact that we act against underperformance, and don’t reward it, sets us apart from other parties,” the party’s National Chairperson Michael Beaumont said.

The party will soon unveil its mayoral candidate for Ekurhuleni, though candidates for Johannesburg and Tshwane are not yet ready. Mashaba expressed confidence ahead of the 2026 local government elections, noting ActionSA’s strong performance in recent by-elections.

The dismissed councillors will be replaced through recommendations submitted to municipal speakers. While top council roles are full-time, ordinary councillors are considered part-time and receive a stipend.

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