ActionSA aims to disrupt DA's hold on the Indian vote in Phoenix
ActionSA leader Zwakele Mncwango welcomes prominent civic leaders, including Alice Govender, as they unite to challenge the DA's dominance over the Indian vote in Phoenix ahead of the local government elections.
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ACTIONSA in KwaZulu-Natal is determined to contest the Democratic Alliance's (DA) stronghold on the crucial Indian vote in Phoenix during this year's local government elections.
Phoenix, a predominantly Indian township located north of Durban, has been a DA bastion since the party swept all five wards in the 2021 local government elections. However, ActionSA believes that the DA's dominance is about to change, especially following the recent alignment with prominent local civic leaders, including Alice Govender, the former chairperson of the Phoenix Civic and Ratepayers Association.
On Monday, ActionSA provincial leader Zwakele Mncwango, alongside senior party leaders, welcomed Govender and other local leaders into the party. Govender's move to ActionSA comes alongside the merger of two other political entities, the Azanian Independent Community Movement and the Creative Congress Movement, which have also joined forces with ActionSA.
The newly united parties have agreed to field their candidates in the upcoming local government elections under the banner of Herman Mashaba's party.
Mncwango praised Govender and the two merging parties for their principled decision to join ActionSA.
"Phoenix has a long history of civic activism, resilience, and community leadership, and ActionSA values the experience and insight these leaders bring." He added
"Their decision reflects growing confidence in ActionSA as a political home for South Africans who believe in unity, good governance, and pragmatic solutions. We are happy that the civic leaders have at last realised that fighting service delivery issues while outside the political system is not easy. We said to them, come inside the system to better fight for your community, and they accepted that."
Mncwango extended an invitation to other ratepayers' associations and civil society groups to collaborate with ActionSA in the fight for improved service delivery.
"In advancing civic participation, accountability, and community-driven solutions, and maintaining strong working relationships with ratepayer leaders across eThekwini, I call on all civic associations to come together and work with ActionSA not only in Phoenix but across the broader eThekwini Municipality," he added.
However, not everyone is convinced by ActionSA's claims. Jonathan Annipen, the IFP’s Public Representation (PR) councillor in Phoenix, dismissed the party's assertions that it could sway the vote in the community.
"By deciding to join political parties, they desert the communities because they now represent the party’s interests, which may not necessarily align with the interests of the Phoenix community," Annipen said.
He further contended that the electoral facts indicate the real battle for control of Phoenix will be between the IFP and the DA, noting that in 2021, the IFP was the second most popular party after the DA in all wards. Dean Macpherson, the DA's chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal, echoed this sentiment, stating that residents of Phoenix would not take ActionSA seriously.
In the 2016 elections, the vote in Phoenix was split between the ANC and the DA; however, in 2021, the DA managed to secure all five wards, while the IFP obtained a PR councillor.