Neelam Rahim / neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
09 February 2023 / 17:05 CAT

Photo: News24

ActionSA has revealed what the party calls it’s South African Dream ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the Nation Address. Delivering a speech on Monday, ActionSA president Herman Mashaba stated that the party would embark on a national campaign to share its vision which will see the revival of the dream of the country in 1994.

In a speech peppered with the words “prosperity”, “hope”, and “imagine”, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba invoked Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech on Monday when he said: “I had a dream for a future South Africa where all South Africans would not just be equal on paper, but genuine counterparts in a dynamic and vibrant economy where all would share prosperity.”

While Mashaba’s speech was light on policy positions – the party will now embark on a campaign that will culminate in its first policy conference – he dropped a few hints on what the party’s policy could entail: breaking the “stranglehold of unions”, removing the “constraints to doing business”, public-private partnerships, and re-enlisting retired and former civil servants and protecting the poor through essential service delivery.

He spoke at the factory where he started his business, Black Like Me, in Ga-Rankuwa Industrial Park, Tshwane, in 1985. He recalled how he grew up in poverty – his mother a domestic worker in Sandton, where he now lives – and the sense of optimism he felt in 1994.

He said he wanted to revive the South African dream of 1994 and “share ActionSA’s vision for an inclusive and prosperous future for South Africa with you”.

“Imagine a future in South Africa where our country is healed from its painful past. South Africa is defined by hope and prosperity. A country that inspires patriotism, that its people are proud to call their home.

Listen to the interview with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat and Herman Mashaba on Radio Islam’s podcast.