Operation Dudula is another grassroots movement ActionSA appears to be interested in.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says the door is still open for Operation Dudula to merge with his party or enter into a working arrangement.
On Monday, Mashaba welcomed two new parties under what ActionSA called its Green Umbrella Project.
The two newly admitted parties are the Azanian Independent Community Movement (AICM) and the Creative Congress Movement (CCM).
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He said these mergers will strategically boost ActionSA’s power in communities and increase the number of its public representatives nationwide to 150.
“These parties, despite not having a national footprint, are often the most in touch with local needs and best placed to fight for the interests of their communities.”
Talks between ActionSA and Operation Dudula continuing
He said ActionSA’s vision is to end the dominance of established big parties that have failed communities through poor governance and corruption.
Mashaba told The Citizen that negotiations to bring Operation Dudula on board are continuing.
ActionSA’s negotiations with Operation Dudula began last year, but The Citizen understands that Operation Dudula made some demands which stalled the process.
Mashaba said he has given Operation Dudula some time to consider the ActionSA project.
“Dudula just wants to be given time. I confirmed last year that we had spoken to them and that, if they operate with us, they must do so within the legal framework. We have given them a chance to consider what we discussed.
“When they are ready, the door is still open; they can come to us,” he said.
Operation Dudula controversies
Mashaba said he understands that some sectors of society have a problem with the way Operation Dudula conducts its activities. But he said this is part of the discussions between the two organisations.
“I cannot negotiate with someone and go and talk badly about them in public. That would be stupidity,” he said.
Operation Dudula leader Zandile Dabula confirmed that negotiations between the two parties are underway but declined to comment further.
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Green Umbrella Project a tactic for coalition politics
Andre Duvenhage, a political analyst from the North West University (NWU), believes that Mashaba’s Green Umbrella Project is a political survival tactic.
“Mashaba wants to gain enough support that will enable him to influence coalition politics, and these coalition politics are a stronger feature of the future than they were in the past,” he said.
He said some donors were expecting ActionSA and the DA to work well together but that has not happened since the 2021 local government elections.
The party joined the City of Johannesburg council with a bang in 2021, receiving 44 seats and becoming the third-biggest party in the council.
But Duvenhage believes they may not be able to do this again.
He said campaigning for the local government elections is expensive, and going under the green umbrella would be beneficial for some small parties.
Mashaba said there are criteria for parties that would like to come under the green umbrella.
“You have to be ethical, and we need people who are grounded with community issues,” he said.
Hlaudi Motsoeneng
Mashaba also said he had noted speculation that he would be admitting Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s party – the African Content Movement – under the green umbrella.
He said this is not true.
“There is no way that a guy like that can become part of ActionSA green umbrella. We will merge with political parties that are aligned with our objectives and policies,” he said.
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