ActionSA announced its withdrawal from the multi-party charter, alleging that certain parties in the MPC have betrayed the South African people. This was made during a media briefing by the party in Randburg, Johannesburg.
The party argues that multi-party charter member states discussing a possible coalition with the ANC is a clear breach of the agreement.
“We are the first party to say, 'OK, some parties have decided to negotiate, it's their right'. And if you think about it, I think it's their right. We can't really stop them. But at the same time, we as Action SA cannot maintain this agreement when some of our multi-party members are violating it… so we want to formalise this,” says Action SA leader Herman Mashaba.
The party said it could no longer be part of the charter and that its focus was now on local government.
“We are very clear about the fact that the biggest problems facing South Africans right now are collapsing roads, water shortages, erratic power and sewage that is flooding communities. And at the end of the day, these are failures of local government,” national chair Michael Beaumont says.
The party says it is open to discussions about cooperation but wants to present itself as an independent political party.
Video: Media briefing on the outcome of the ActionSA Senate meeting
