Joburg mayoral candidate and ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba’s shifting political messaging on social media has raised questions about consistency, particularly in relation to the ANC and DA.
An analysis of Mashaba’s posts on X shows a marked evolution over time. In 2020, his stance on the ANC was unequivocal, repeatedly stating the government had failed citizens “26 years into democracy” as basic services deteriorated.
His messaging focused on corruption, border control failures and institutional collapse.
Change in tone
Following the 2021 local government elections, that rhetoric became more direct. Mashaba consistently urged opposition parties to exclude the ANC from coalitions, reinforcing a firm political boundary.
However, this position appeared to have softened after the 2024 national elections. By early 2025, Mashaba publicly praised a coalition involving the ANC, EFF and ActionSA in Tshwane, saying it made him “proud”, despite earlier opposition to any ANC involvement.
At the same time, his tone toward the DA has hardened significantly. Once described in neutral terms, the DA is now frequently criticised in his posts.
Mashaba declared the DA’s “moonshot pact is dead” and warned that a vote for the party could risk “apartheid in disguise”.
Credibility risks
Netnographer Carmen Murray said the changes indicate a broader repositioning. “It’s as if the tone online changes depending on the moment,” she said, adding that this creates “a gap between what is written as policy and manifesto promises and what people are seeing in real time”.
She cautioned that some claims made in Mashaba’s messaging on social media risk undermining credibility.
“If you are building a political argument, it has to be grounded in facts, otherwise you risk eroding trust,” she said.
Murray said the strategy appears aimed at voters disillusioned with both major parties, positioning ActionSA between “ANC fatigue and DA scepticism”.
