ActionSA marked its fifth anniversary this week, with party leader Herman Mashaba citing what he described as its “growing and respectable record” in both national and local government.

In South Africa’s 2024 election ActionSA won 1.2 percent of the vote securing six of 400 National Assembly seats. Mashaba has stressed that ActionSA declined to join the Government of National Unity, arguing that, “We declined an invitation to take up a ministerial post in the GNU, on the principled position that the arrangement was not underpinned by a coherent agreement on reforms and limitations of executive authority.”

In celebrating the anniversary, and ahead of forthcoming local government elections, Mashaba said, “it is undeniable that ActionSA has already made a considerable impact on the lives of South Africans. We take this opportunity to thank the people of our country for their trust and support, and we rededicate ourselves to earning their confidence through another five years of action that truly puts South Africa first.”

Seen through the lens of new party politics, ActionSA’s anniversary marks a test of staying power for rising parties that focus on principled reform and electoral independence.