Mashaba could face off against Zille for Joburg

ActionSA leader ready for race if party can't find better mayoral candidate

- Lunga Mzangwe

Joburg mayoral hot seat: Herman Mashaba launching ActionSA branches with fellow South Africans in Tshwane and Eldorado Park.

(Action SA)

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba could emerge as his party's mayoral candidate for Johannesburg in next year's local government elections, setting up a potential battle against the Democratic Alliance's (DA) Helen Zille to take charge of the country's troubled economic hub.

Mashaba told the Mail & Guardian this week that if ActionSA cannot find a suitable candidate, he is willing to take up the mantle and fight to reclaim the position he held from August 2016 to late 2019 under the DA banner, until he resigned from both the post and the party over ideological differences.

"If I can't find another Dr Nasiphi Moya in Johannesburg and the structures and people of Johannesburg want me to stand, I will stand, but give us a chance to look for other talent within the ActionSA structure," Mashaba said, referring to the ActionSA mayor in Tshwane.

"In the event we don't find someone on time, I will stand but we need to be given the space to look for another person. If it does call on me to take over the job, I will do it."

Two weeks ago, the DA announced federal chairperson Zille as its mayoral candidate in Johannesburg in next year's elections, while the Patriotic Alliance (PA) will be represented by Kenny Kunene.

Soon after, Zille went on a charm offensive in Johannesburg, promising to fix its numerous service delivery problems, including a water crisis that has left many suburbs dry for weeks and even months on end.

In addition, the city's roads are riddled with potholes and traffic lights that are not working, while the inner city is failing to maintain law and order, with dilapidated buildings and infrastructural decay turning Africa's richest city into an eyesore.