A 47-year-old Ntlalontle Memela from Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape said he was happy that ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba decided to visit the province.
Memela said Mashaba was one of the few leaders who advocated for the rights of South Africans to be taken seriously.
“The guy (Mashaba) was doing great work in Johannesburg while he was the mayor. He was one of the people who championed the slogan of putting South Africans first.
“As of now, I am still figuring out who am I going to vote for between him and ATM’s leader, Vuyo Zungula. Both leaders have integrity and they are putting their people first and that’s what our country needs at the moment,” he added.
Memela said under ActionSA and Mashaba’s leadership jobs would be created and the country would be a better place for its citizens.
“Our children are roaming around with degrees and Master’s outside here. How do we then encourage those who come after them about the importance of education, which would supposedly open doors for them? Even these graduates themselves don’t see the importance of education,” he exclaimed.
This was as the ActionSA leader embarked on a three-day visit to the province as part of the party’s principles of the People’s Dialogue.
Mashaba said these provincial visits showed and proved that the party was growing in leaps and bounds, adding that it was disrupting the status quo across the country.
“We are able to attract diverse support from various communities who all share our vision of a more inclusive and prosperous South Africa, which places us in a good position as we enter the 2024 election campaign.
“The growth of ActionSA has attracted the attention of the ruling party and our opponents who tried to intimidate our members wherever we went in the province or conducted door-to-door campaigns ahead of our arrival,” he said.
While embarking on a door-to-door campaign, Mashaba visited Kwazakhele High School in Nelson Mandela Bay, where the principal was held at gunpoint last year.
“Outside we engaged with the community about their concerns about school safety and quality education and presented our solutions to fix the issue.
“From there, we visited Kariega, where the historic Allan Ridge Community Hall has been vandalised to the ground due to a lack of policing and maintenance, before engaging with members of the Nelson Mandela Bay business community in the evening.”
Mashaba ended his three-day campaign by meeting community members in Jeffrey’s Bay.