Zille welcomes former ActionSA member Mandla Nyaqela to DA

Helen Zille, the Democratic Alliance (DA) mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, on Thursday welcomed Mandla Nyaqela to the blue party.

Zille also announced that more than 50 other individuals, believed to be members of ActionSA, had joined the DA.

The party said Nyaqela and the group resigned from ActionSA due to dissatisfaction with the leadership of Herman Mashaba.

Zille further claimed that several more ActionSA members were expected to defect to the DA.

"They know that having tried the alternatives, there is only one party that can lead Joburg to success for everyone. And that party is the blue party," said Zille.

Meanwhile, ActionSA has welcomed the departure of one of its pr councillors in Johannesburg who has now joined the DA.

Nyaqela resigned from the green party on Thursday.

However, ActionSA’s caucus leader, Marcel Courtriers, said the departing councillor had been underperforming, nonetheless.

“ActionSA has demonstrated that it will not retain underperforming public representatives because we respect the mandate given by residents for hardworking, accountable community representation, and where even the most basic expectations are not met, we have not hesitated to act.”

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