DURBAN - ACTIONSA former provincial leader, Dr Makhosi Khoza’s days as a member and councillor of the party appear to be numbered after she publicly clashed with the founder of the party, Herman Mashaba.
A senior party leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Daily News on Wednesday that the party was waiting for her to finish three months as a councillor, and would then “fire” her from the party.
“Although she was voted by the ANC to chair Mpac (Municipal Public Accounts Committee), at the end, the seat she is in belonged to the party. She was not an independent candidate,” said the leader.
The two were on Radio 702 where their differences played out in the open, with Mashaba accusing Khoza as having voted with the ANC during eThekwini inaugural council, which saw the ANC’s Mxolisi Kaunda beating the DA’s Nicole Graham.
Mashaba also said Khoza’s election to Mpac as chairperson was not sanctioned by the party because she never consulted the national leadership.
The party did not like that she was voted by the ANC to chair the Mpac.
Khoza hit back at Mashaba, telling the Daily News on Wednesday that Mashaba wanted to micromanage provincial leaders, just because he was a founder.
She denied selling out the bloc that was led by the DA and insisted that no one knew how she voted since voting was secret.
In a statement she issued following the public clash with her boss, she said her offering to the citizens of eThekwini, KwaDukuza and Newcastle municipalities where ActionSA contested elections under her leadership, was to put people and service delivery before politics.
“Within the above context, I want to apologise to all ActionSA voters and the general public for allowing our internal ActionSA political dynamics to play out in the public domain.
“I remain committed to serving you to the best of my abilities without fear, favour or prejudice. The people of eThekwini must anticipate real action in the Mpac that I chair,” read her statement.
She added that like all new political parties, ActionSA was experiencing teething problems.
Khoza said that sometimes it was difficult for founders to let go and allow those they appointed into leadership positions to exercise their discretion, adding that this was one of the major risk factors of newly established political parties.
As a member of ActionSA, she then asked Mashaba to forgive her for the “imagined betrayal”, but defended her support from the ANC, saying the ANC councillors were not wrong in voting for her to chair Mpac.
Khoza’s removal as chairperson of the province has divided the party in the province with some blaming Mashaba, arguing that she worked hard to get the party seats in three municipalities: eThekwini, KwaDukuza and Newcastle.
The party provincial spokesperson, Busi Radebe, said the party has taken a position not to engage its members via the media.
Meanwhile, ActionSA was expected to officially announce the new provincial leadership on Thursday to replace Khoza.
Daily News