The Electoral Commission of South Africa has rejected an application by ActionSA to register as a political party
The application was submitted earlier this month by the grouping’s officials
Herman Mashaba, the former Johannesburg Mayor and the grouping’s leader launched ActionSA last month after a period of consultation.
The party said the rejection was because of a similarity in the name with an already registered party Part of Action and the use of the South African flag in their logo.
One of the party’s official Michael Beaumont said they are going to appeal the decision of the IEC.
“We do believe that the IEC will see reason in that process. Should they not, we will be very happy to go to court to defend the identity of ActionSA. This is an organisation born of the engagement of 2.4 million South Africans. ActionSA has instructed its legal teams to file an appeal and, if necessary, proceed to court in order to defend its legitimate registration. Our logo is derived from The People’s Dialogue, a process in which millions of South Africans legitimised the formation of ActionSA. We have filed a trademark application with the Registrar of Trademarks and we will defend the identity of ActionSA without hesitation.
We are disappointed by the position of the IEC, and trust that it will come around to make the correct decision in the appeal process without this matter having to proceed to court.”
Read More: Freeze assets of ZANU-PF leaders in SA and ban them from entering our country: Herman Mashaba
Mashaba was in the spotlight last week after a group of protesters under the name #PutSouthAfricansFirst staged a demonstration calling for the deportation of foreigners and prioritisation of South Africans in the economy. he denied being involved in the ‘xenophobic’ movement.
IEC rejects Mashaba’s application to register ActionSA as a political party