Retired SANDF brigadier-general Kwena Mangope, the son of late former Bophuthatswana homeland leader Lucas Mangope, has been announced as ActionSA’s North West premier candidate ahead of the 2024 national and provincial elections.
Mangope is also a traditional chief in the Motsweding area.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba made the announcement on Wednesday in Johannesburg during a media briefing on premier candidates for the upcoming general elections.
In 2021, Mangope was elected as the North West chairperson of ActionSA, where he was introduced to the world of politics.
Speaking at the briefing, Mangope said he was aware of the difficult task of wresting power away from the current ANC government in the North West.
"ActionSA in the North West has been hard at work on the ground, and a significant marker of this is the number of branch launches we’ve had so far. We have more than 100 branches in the province audited as fully compliant, and we are not stopping," he said.
He mentioned that the party would restore the province to its former glory. He said that the 2024 elections will demonstrate South Africans’ collective dissatisfaction with the situation in the country.
"We don’t have water, roads, facilities, or even parks for children to play. Under the ANC rule, the people of our province have been subjected to years of underdevelopment while government and political overlords fight daily for who gets to loot its limited resources," he said.
He said ActionSA will run a clean government that is accountable to the citizens and responsible for the decisions that it makes.
"Under the ActionSA government, no tender will be issued to supply donkey carts to our people," he added.
He vowed to work tirelessly to ensure that the promises they made during their first inaugural conference were delivered to the people of Bokone Bophirima.
Responding to questions about him not being a politician, Mangope said "I don't need to be a politician to see that the country is not well governed".
Given the family history of Mangope, Mashaba expressed confidence in Mangope's leadership. He said Mangope would lead the North West to greener pastures.
IOL Politics