Mashaba officially takes up the gauntlet as Joburg mayoral candidate

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has officially entered the race to become ActionSA’s mayoral candidate in the City of Johannesburg ahead of the upcoming local government elections.

The party’s candidate selection committee is expected to meet on Monday to finalise its process.

Five ActionSA leaders have been shortlisted and will be interviewed later Monday.

This will be followed by an announcement on Saturday confirming the party’s chosen mayoral candidate.

Mashaba, the former Johannesburg mayor who held office between 2016 and 2019 under the Democratic Alliance (DA), is looking to return to office - this time for ActionSA.

He is one of five party leaders being interviewed to become ActionSA’s mayoral candidate in Johannesburg.

Also in the running is the party’s national chairperson, Michael Beaumont, who previously served as Mashaba’s chief of staff during his mayoral tenure.

Member of Parliament (MP) Dereleen James, known for her fight against crime in Eldorado Park, is also among the shortlisted candidates.

James first gained prominence as a crime activist a few years ago, joining others who camped outside the Eldorado Park Police Station for more than a month, demanding solutions to gang violence in the community.

Rounding up the list are ActionSA's spokesperson, Lerato Ngobeni, and the party’s Gauteng chairperson, Funzi Ngobeni.