Pretoria - ActionSA says it has launched an investigations into the chaos that erupted during a party meeting at Tshwane House, which saw members overturning tables and chairs, according to spokesperson Michael Beaumont.
The scuffle ensued at the party’s regional meeting on Saturday, allegedly over councillor selection processes and positions.
The meeting, attended by the party’s provincial chairperson John Moody and mayoral candidates in last year’s local elections, including Pretoria’s Abel Tau, ended abruptly after some members overturned tables and chairs during the scuffle.
According to the transcripts of the gathering seen by Pretoria News, the chaos erupted during questions after Moody addressed the crowd. It abruptly ended after Moody, responding to some questions about the selection process and employment, said that the party was not an employment agency.
He said in response to questions: “We are not an employment agency; we are to serve people. We came here on our own.”
This drew anger and disagreement from the crowds, who said he was lying because they had been recruited and had not joined the organisation on their own. A party member who was the last to speak before the meeting collapsed accused Moody of only advancing his “pals”.
He said: “John (Moody) doesn’t care. It’s only John’s friends that have positions.”
Earlier in the meeting, members questioned the selection of PR councillors. One of the people at the meeting said: “We meant to start processes based on performance, but this has not been followed. A member resigned just before PR processes, but she is now a councillor. There is not a coloured representation again. I have to answer to residents of Eersterust. I’m very disgruntled.
“People came to ActionSA for positions. Some people in this room have too many positions. The selection process was not done to what we were told. It was not transparent.”
Another member also bemoaned the selection process. He said: “It is obvious to see people selected who did not work on the ground. Those who performed well were jumped.”
Responding to Pretoria News’s questions, Beaumont declined to comment, saying the party was investigating the collapse of the meeting.
He said: “We are investigating the events that took place in the meeting on Saturday. It would be premature to comment on what may be emerging in the investigation.
“These events, however, are counter to our values and norms in ActionSA, and should not be seen as anything other than the actions of a few individuals.
“We see our role as leaders to provide assurance to the vast majority of ActionSA members, who do not conduct themselves in this manner, that our measurement must take place around how decisively these matters are dealt with. In this regard we are confident of the speed and decisiveness of our internal party processes.”
This was not the first time Action SA has had confrontations about its selection process. Last November Pretoria News reported that party members were at loggerheads with each other, with some accusing party leader Herman Mashaba of being biased after they claimed he chose his “own” people to be both ward and PR councillors.
ActionSA, the third biggest party in Pretoria, relegated the EFF into fourth spot after the DA and the ANC in the November polls. It is part of a DA-led coalition government in the metro.
Pretoria News