ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has confirmed that discussions with former DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko about becoming his party’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate have collapsed — and he says the deal fell apart over conditions he simply could not accept.
Speaking in a sit-down interview in Johannesburg, Mashaba revealed that he had approached Mazibuko earlier this year to run for mayor under the ActionSA banner, describing her as a strong potential fit for the city. But according to him, the talks unravelled when Mazibuko insisted that ActionSA join forces with three other parties: RISE Mzansi, Build One SA (BOSA) and the GOOD Party.
‘She wanted us to collapse our party’
Mashaba said Mazibuko was only willing to accept the mayoral nomination on condition that ActionSA becomes part of the newly formed political collective, Unite for Change, which the three parties joined in October.
“I was shocked,” Mashaba said.
“Her proposal didn’t make sense at all. They wanted ActionSA to join the new structure as an equal partner and collapse our organisation into it.”
Unite for Change — led by prominent national figures such as Mmusi Maimane, Patricia de Lille, Songezo Zibi, Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster and Vuyiswa Ramokgopa — plans to contest the 2026 municipal elections in all eight metros.
Mashaba said the idea of joining the collective was “a non-starter”.
“How do you expect ActionSA, with more than 130 public representatives across all spheres of government, to enter as an equal partner with parties that have only a handful of representatives? It didn’t make sense.”
Talks officially dead
He confirmed that negotiations with Mazibuko are now closed.
“For her, it was a condition. And I made it clear: if that’s the case, let’s close the discussion. The deal didn’t make sense, and I won’t do something that doesn’t make sense.”
Despite the breakdown, Mashaba said he holds no ill feelings towards the three parties now united under the new banner.
Will Mashaba run for mayor himself?
With Mazibuko out of contention, Mashaba has hinted that he himself might enter the Johannesburg mayoral race if ActionSA fails to find a candidate with the leadership qualities he expects.
“If we don’t find someone aligned to what we stand for, I will consider doing it,” he said, adding that the party’s candidate nominations remain open until the end of November.
A race quickly filling up
The contest for the City of Joburg’s top office continues to draw big names ahead of the 2026 elections.
So far:
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Helen Zille (DA) has entered the race
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Kenny Kunene (PA) is contesting
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The ANC has not yet announced whether it will field Dada Morero again
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Unite for Change is recruiting its own candidates across all metros
Johannesburg — South Africa’s largest and most economically crucial city — faces crippling service delivery failures, including water outages, electricity disruptions, potholes, waste collection backlogs and degraded infrastructure. These issues are expected to dominate the upcoming campaign season.
What this means for Joburg
Mashaba’s withdrawal from the Mazibuko negotiations leaves ActionSA’s candidate slot wide open — and intensifies speculation that the former mayor may attempt a comeback in a city he once led.
With multiple political heavyweights signalling interest in the Joburg mayoral chain, the 2026 race is shaping up to become one of the most contested and unpredictable political showdowns in South Africa.