Bongani Baloyi DUMPS DA for ActionSA: ‘It’s the perfect time to do so’

Former Midvaal Mayor Bongani Baloyi says he is excited about joining his new political home ActionSA, having announced his departure from the Democratic Alliance (DA) back in December 2021.

Baloyi was unveiled as the newest addition to the party on Monday, 24 January 2022, and leader Herman Mashaba couldn’t be more thrilled.

“One of the features that impressed me about Baloyi was my engagements with him when I launched ActionSA, and I sought to bring him into the party. He remained committed to see out his term of office for the people of Midvaal, even if he was politically willing, and he wanted to leave with dignity. Baloyi’s joining of ActionSA does not take place in a vacuum,” Mashaba said.

BONGANI BALOYI ON LEAVING DA FOR ACTIONSA

As the latest high-profile DA member to leave the party, Bongani Baloyi maintains there is no bad blood, but says the move to ActionSA came at the perfect time for him.

Baloyi left the DA just months after former party MP Phumzile Van Damme announced her exit and attributed the decision to tensions with the leadership.

“I’m excited to start a new poltical journey. Why now? It’s the perfect time to do so. My move to a new political party has not affected government at all. It has not affected the transition to the new leaders of government in Midvaal and it has also ensured that it happens in a period where the party will focus just solely on issues of the coalition management so I thought it be perfect to allow the process to happen at a time that serves me best”

Former Midvaal Mayor Bongani Baloyi

Mashaba says Baloyi isn’t the last prominent political figure to join ActionSA this year as the party gears up to take part in the 2024 national elections.

“An important part of our efforts to grow our party to be the challenger that South Africans need in 2024 is the need to deepen our leadership pool within ActionSA. For ActionSA to grow we will need more leaders with their own voices bringing the kind of skills, experience, youthfulness and excellence that Baloyi epitomises. In this respect ActionSA can promise South Africa a long list of high-profile individuals, throughout the course of 2022, that will be joining our party and demonstrating the momentum we will carry in 2024,” Mashaba says.