ActionSA’s changing political identity

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · Mar 29, 2026 · 1260 words · By Stephen Grootes

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What to know about ActionSA’s changing political identity

Despite the current focus on the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) ahead of the local elections, ActionSA believes it too can play a big role.

Claims checked 24

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center86%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Despite the current focus on the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) ahead of the local elections, ActionSA believes it too can play a big role.

Why it matters

But with its participation in marches against illegal immigrants, its support for a mayoral candidate facing criminal charges and its role in Tshwane, its political identity may be changing.

Common ground

When Herman Mashaba launched ActionSA it seemed obvious the party was more likely to work with the DA than anyone else.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: ActionSA’s changing political identity?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that ActionSA and the DA have drifted apart over time?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-29-future-of-actionsa-and-its-ch…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 24 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 14

help Insufficient Evidence 7

verified Verified By Reference 3

verified

Claim 1: “ActionSA and the DA have drifted apart over time.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it verified by reference based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — ActionSA is a political party in South Africa established in 2020 by Herman Mashaba, a former mayor of Johannesburg, shortly after he left the Democratic Alliance (DA). The party states that it has be…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActionSA

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael Eric Beaumont (born 12 February 1985) is a South African politician and political strategist. He is the national chairperson of ActionSA, which he helped establish in 2020. Formerly a Democrat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Beaumont_(South_Africa…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Multi-Party Charter (MPC), officially the Multi-Party Charter For South Africa (MPCSA), formerly known as the Moonshot Pact, was a pre-election agreement in South Africa that presented a united fr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Party_Charter

schedule

Claim 2: “Modise divested from the security company before becoming a councillor.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 3: “An assault charge against Khumalo is described as politically motivated.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 4: “ActionSA participated in marches against illegal immigrants.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 5: “No party has won over 20% of the vote without contested leadership elections.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 6: “Khumalo and his team allegedly woke up a victim, pointed guns at him, and slapped him.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 7: “Mashaba joined the March and March movement during a protest in Durban.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 8: “ActionSA nominated Xolani Khumalo as its mayoral candidate in Ekurhuleni.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 9: “Kholofelo Morodi was removed from the mayoral committee.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 10: “Herman Mashaba and Michael Beaumont were previously members of the DA.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it verified by reference based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Herman Samtseu Philip Mashaba (born 26 August 1959) is a South African politician, entrepreneur and the current president of ActionSA, a party he launched on 29 August 2020. He served as the Mayor of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Mashaba

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schedule

Claim 11: “Nasiphi Moya leads Tshwane council through ANC support.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 12: “ActionSA's support for a mayoral candidate facing criminal charges.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 13: “Members attempted to blockade a school with many learners of illegal immigrants.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 14: “Beaumont stated illegal immigration is a hallmark of ActionSA's messaging.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 15: “Khumalo is accused of violence related to drug dealers.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 16: “ActionSA believes it can play a big role in the local elections.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 17: “ActionSA's political identity may be changing.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 18: “Mashaba called for 'mass deportations' of illegal immigrants.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 19: “Morodi was involved in parcelling out tenders according to the Madlanga Commission.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 20: “ActionSA's membership profile is similar to the DA's.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it verified by reference based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Democratic Alliance (DA) is a liberal South African political party. The party has been the second-largest in South Africa since its foundation in 2000. The DA's ideology has been associated with…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Alliance_(South_Afr…

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schedule

Claim 21: “Eugene Modise is accused of benefiting from a security contract.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 22: “The council approved a multi-party committee to investigate Modise's case.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 23: “ActionSA has not changed leadership through contested elections.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 24: “ActionSA is keeping the ANC in power in Tshwane.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.