• Table of Contents
• The Promise That Fizzled
• Mistake #1: The Coalition Conundrum – All Power, No Principle
• Mistake #2: The Identity Crisis – Trying to Be Everyone's Darling
• Mistake #3: The Messiah Complex – Is It ActionSA or ActionHerman?**

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: The Promise That Fizzled
2. Mistake #1: The Coalition Conundrum – All Power, No Principle
3. Mistake #2: The Identity Crisis – Trying to Be Everyone’s Darling
4. Mistake #3: The Messiah Complex – Is It ActionSA or ActionHerman?
5. Mistake #4: Slogan Over Substance – “Fixing” SA With Hashtags
6. Mistake #5: The Immigration Gambit – A Double-Edged Sword
7. Mistake #6: The Grand Betrayal – Flirting With The Enemy (EFF/ANC)
8. The 7th and Final Sin: A Disconnect from the Grassroots
9. Conclusion: A Wasted Opportunity or a Lesson to Be Learned?

The Promise That Fizzled

7 wonders of the ancient world, 7 deadly sins, and now, it appears, the 7 cardinal mistakes of ActionSA. When Herman Mashaba burst back onto the political scene with his green-and-white brigade, there was a palpable sense of excitement, particularly in the boardrooms and among the fed-up middle class of South Africa. Here was a man who understood business, who talked tough on crime and consequence, and who wasn’t afraid to call out the ANC’s catastrophic failures. He promised action, not talk. He promised a pro-business, pro-growth, pragmatic alternative to the tired ideologues ruining the country. For a moment, it felt like a real choice was emerging from the political wilderness. We all wanted to believe. We needed to believe.

But as the dust has settled from the initial hype of the 2021 local government elections, the shiny veneer has started to crack, revealing a political entity plagued by astounding naivety, strategic blunders, and a worrying lack of ideological foundation. The party that promised to be the solution is increasingly looking like just another part of the problem. What went so wrong? Let’s unpack the shocking failure of ActionSA by examining the seven worst mistakes that have turned this once-promising venture into a cautionary tale of political hubris. Buckle up; it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Mistake #1: The Coalition Conundrum – All Power, No Principle

For any pro-business person, stability is gold. You can’t plan, you can’t invest, and you certainly can’t create jobs when the government running your city is a revolving door of backstabbing and political theatre. ActionSA’s performance in the Gauteng metro coalitions has been, to put it mildly, an absolute disaster. It has been the single greatest showcase of their political immaturity.

After the 2021 elections, ActionSA found itself in the position of kingmaker in metros like Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Ekurhuleni. This was their moment to prove their mettle, to show they could govern responsibly and bring the stability needed to attract investment and fix crumbling infrastructure. Instead, they dove headfirst into a multi-party quagmire with the Democratic Alliance (DA) and other smaller parties, seemingly without a concrete, long-term strategy.

The result? Chaos. Johannesburg has seen more mayors than a season of Survivor has contestants. The constant infighting, motions of no confidence, and collapse of governing coalitions have been a masterclass in how not to run a city. While ActionSA is quick to point the finger at the DA’s “arrogance” or the floor-crossing of smaller parties, they fail to take responsibility for their own role in the instability.

Image Source: An image of a chaotic Johannesburg council meeting would be perfect here. Example via Getty Images

Their strategy seemed to be based on one thing: keeping the ANC out of power at any cost. While a noble goal on the surface, this single-minded obsession blinded them to the realities of sustainable governance. They entered into flimsy agreements with a motley crew of parties whose principles were often diametrically opposed to their own supposed pro-market stance. They prioritised positions (like MMC roles) over firm, written agreements on policy implementation. This is amateur hour. Any business leader knows that a deal without clear, enforceable terms is just a conversation.

The economic cost of this instability is staggering. Businesses in Johannesburg don’t know who will be setting rates and taxes next month. Service delivery, the very thing ActionSA promised to fix, has ground to a halt as officials are paralysed by political uncertainty. Who wants to invest millions of Rands into a city where the government could collapse tomorrow? The answer is nobody. ActionSA’s coalition fumbling hasn’t just been a political failure; it’s been an act of economic self-sabotage for the country’s economic heartland.

Mistake #2: The Identity Crisis – Trying to Be Everyone’s Darling

What does ActionSA actually stand for? Seriously, ask one of their supporters, and you might get three different answers. Are they a classic liberal party? Are they centre-right conservatives? Are they free-market capitalists? Or are they the “social justice” warriors their own constitution claims them to be? The truth is, nobody seems to know – probably not even the party leadership themselves.

This ideological ambiguity is perhaps their most fundamental flaw. In a desperate attempt to build a “broad church” and hoover up disgruntled voters from both the ANC and the DA, ActionSA has created a political philosophy as coherent as a bowl of spaghetti.

On one hand, Herman Mashaba styles himself as a “black capitalist,” a man who champions the free market and entrepreneurship. This is the messaging that appeals to the business community. They talk about creating a business-friendly environment and cutting red tape. This is the stuff that gets our attention.

But then you read their founding documents. The ActionSA constitution lists “Social Justice” as one of its core principles, a term that is often code for wealth redistribution, race-based redress policies, and a larger role for the state – the very things that have crippled the South African economy. They talk a big game about non-racialism, yet seem to support race-based policies when it’s politically convenient.

You simply cannot be a pro-free market party and a pro-social justice party at the same time. One prioritises individual liberty, competition, and economic freedom as the drivers of prosperity for all. The other prioritises state intervention to engineer equal outcomes, which inevitably leads to inefficiency, corruption, and economic stagnation.

This identity crisis makes them an unreliable partner for anyone, especially the business community. We need to know where a party stands on property rights, on Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), on labour laws, and on taxation. With ActionSA, it’s a gamble. Will you get the pro-business Mashaba or the “social justice” charter? This lack of a clear ideological core means they are unpredictable, and in the world of investment and long-term planning, unpredictability is poison. They tried to be everything to everyone and have ended up being nothing convincing to anyone.

Mistake #3: The Messiah Complex – Is It ActionSA or ActionHerman?**

Let’s be honest: for most South Africans, ActionSA is* Herman Mashaba. His face is on the posters, his voice dominates the soundbites, and his life story is the party’s origin myth. While his personal brand as a successful entrepreneur and the no-nonsense former mayor of Johannesburg was a powerful launching pad, it has since become a strategic liability. The party suffers from a terminal case of “Founder’s Syndrome.”

This isn’t just about ego; it’s about building a sustainable, professional political organisation. A party built around a single personality is a party built on sand. What happens if Mashaba retires or has a health issue? Does ActionSA cease to exist? Who is the next in line? Can anyone name three other senior leaders in ActionSA off the top of their head? The answer for most is a resounding “no.”

This “Messiah complex” has real-world consequences. It suggests a lack of deep-seated institutional structure. Decisions often appear to be made by Mashaba unilaterally, creating an impression of a top-down dictatorship rather than a democratic movement. We saw this in the clumsy handling of disciplinary issues and public disagreements within the party, which played out messily in the media. A serious political party, like a serious