ActionSA President Herman Mashaba led a well-attended community engagement at Pesco Hall on Sunford Drive, Phoenix, on Friday evening as part of the party’s “Let’s Fix eThekwini Metro, Together”campaign.
The meeting attracted hundreds of residents and featured formal endorsements from four prominent community organisations in Phoenix.
The organisations that announced their support for ActionSA are:
Starwood Estate Residents Association
Woodview Ratepayers Association
Phoenix Civic Association
Phoenix Civic and Ratepayers Association
Addressing residents, Mashaba said eThekwini’s ongoing challenges—including water outages, potholes, unreliable waste collection and crime—require decisive leadership and practical solutions.
“For too long, communities in Phoenix have been taken for granted. Residents have made it clear that enough is enough. They want accountable leadership, clean streets, working infrastructure and a Metro that puts people first. ActionSA is ready to deliver that,” Mashaba said.
ActionSA Member of Parliament Dereleen James, who addressed the gathering alongside KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Chairperson Zwakele Mncwango and community leader Allan Beasley, said the endorsements reflected growing dissatisfaction with service delivery.
“These associations represent thousands of households. Their support shows that residents are demanding a government that listens and acts. In Parliament and in the Metro, we will continue to raise and address the issues affecting Phoenix,” James said.
Mncwango said ActionSA’s plan for eThekwini includes professionalising the municipal administration, repairing failing infrastructure and restoring service delivery.
“We are not here to make promises and disappear. We are committed to working with civic organisations and residents to help fix what is broken and build a Metro that works for everyone,” he said.
Representatives of the endorsing organisations said their decision to support ActionSA was based on the party’s direct engagement with communities and its stated plans to improve governance in eThekwini.
The organisations also commended ActionSA councillor Alice Govender, councillor Saul Baskin and MP Allan Beasley for their work in raising concerns about alleged irregular developments in Phoenix. They praised the party’s responsiveness and commitment to addressing issues affecting the community.
Govender said the growing support for ActionSA reflects increasing optimism among Phoenix residents.
“The people of Phoenix are beginning to believe that meaningful change is possible. There is renewed hope for our community, and many residents see ActionSA as a political home that listens, cares and delivers. Wherever ActionSA has had the opportunity to govern, we believe we have demonstrated our ability to deliver results,” she said.
