There is an old saying in the valleys of the Mopani District: If you stand near a microphone long enough in Limpopo, someone will eventually hand you an ActionSA green jacket and declare you a mayoral candidate.
With local government elections looming, Herman Mashaba’s green machine has rolled into our neck of the woods, promising to “fix” municipalities that have been broken so thoroughly they now require structural engineering rather than political speeches. But watching ActionSA line up its roster feels less like a political movement and more like a high-stakes episode of Dragon’s Den, where the pitch is simple: “Give us your vote, and we will apply corporate governance to pot-holed dirt roads.”
The Hairman of the Board
At the top of the pyramid sits Herman himself. You have to admire Uncle Herman. He made his fortune selling Black Like Me hair products, built a career on telling people how to manage their roots, and now spends his days trying to convince the rest of South Africa that he can manage municipal roots too.
Mashaba’s political strategy remains delightfully constant: when in doubt, find a microphone and blame illegal immigration for the state of local storm water drains. If a tap leaks in Greater Tzaneen, Herman’s immediate instinct is to check if the washer had valid border documentation.
He marches into townships with the solemn demeanour of an auditor who just discovered someone stole the petty cash, declaring that ActionSA is ready to sweep out career politicians. The irony, of course, is that Herman’s own party hierarchy is increasingly populated by people who used to be… career politicians, or at least people who got tired of their day jobs and decided that municipal council meetings sound like a relaxing alternative.
From Stethoscopes to Streetlights: Enter Dr. Ramothwala
Then we come to our local flavour. The Mopani political rumour mill has been buzzing ever since Dr. Mikia Ramothwala stepped down from his long-standing post as senior clinical manager at Letaba Hospital. For nine years, the good doctor was busy diagnosing actual ailments, managing emergency wards, and dealing with the perpetual headache of public healthcare infrastructure.
Now, he finds himself swept into the ActionSA orbit.
One has to ask: what drive makes a respected medical professional look at a broken, chaotic local council and think, *”Yes, this is much better than running a hospital casualty ward”?
In medicine, when a patient presents with systemic failure, you prescribe antibiotics or perform surgery. In local municipal politics, when the sewage system experiences systemic failure, you hold three committee meetings, form an ad-hoc task team, debate the agenda for four hours, and then blame the previous administration.
We can only imagine Dr. Ramothwala’s upcoming ward visits:
“Doctor, the water has been off for three weeks.”
“Take two paracetamols, call the district engineer, and let’s check if the water meter has a pulse.”
The Green Jacket Brigade
The charm of ActionSA’s regional campaign lies in its insistence that it is not just a “Gauteng party” anymore. They assure us they have taken root in places like Greater Tzaneen. But watching their local organizers operate is a spectator sport. They parade around in neon green windbreakers that are bright enough to guide incoming flights into Polokwane Airport, declaring that “Action is coming.”
The trouble with promising “Action” in Mopani is that local residents are used to a very specific pace of life. Around here, if you move too fast, the heat gets you; if you promise too much, the potholes get your suspension. ActionSA promises to bring corporate efficiency to councils where half the challenge is getting the municipal lawnmower to start on a Tuesday morning.
Will the green jacket revolution manage to convince the voters of Mopani that a mix of Johannesburg corporate style and clinical management can fix a town’s water pipes? Or will they discover that political rhetoric, much like a cheap hair dye, washes off the moment the first summer rains hit the gravel roads?
Until then, keep your hard hats on and your medical aids updated—the campaign trail in Mopani is getting bumpy.