ActionSA appoints Dereleen James as its new Western Cape Chairperson

ActionSA has announced the appointment of Dereleen James as its new Western Cape provincial Chairperson.

The announcement was made in Johannesburg on Saturday, following the party’s three-day senate strategic planning meeting.

James, widely described as a parliamentary firebrand after her role in the SAPS Ad Hoc Committee, has been tasked with driving the party’s growth and leading its campaign efforts in the province.

Like many other political parties, ActionSA is gearing up for the upcoming local government elections.

As she takes on the new role, James said that tackling crime, dismantling drug cartels, and fighting corruption will remain at the core of her agenda.

"For too long, the residents of the Western Cape have been blatantly neglected and marginalised. The western cape records the highest weight of child abandonment. At this point, kids aren't even going to school anymore because they fear being gunned down on their way to school - that is the plight of the Western Cape."

Meanwhile, the party has roped in former MK Party Mpumalanga Leader Mary Phadi to spearhead and manage its campaign in that province.

Addressing the media, Phadi reflected on her time in former president Jacob Zuma’s political outfit and pledged to boost ActionSA's performance in Mpumalanga.

"MK was an official opposition in Mpumalanga and it has collapsed. And since the 2024 elections, I've been watching MK collapsing and how the internal factionalism, changes of leadership, has affected the voters down there. And MK became the focus rather then serving our communities down there."

By Nkosikhona Mnisi