‘I faced racism within the party’: Councillor speaks out after leaving ActionSA for DA

Former ActionSA councillor in the City of Tshwane Navina Pillay said she has resigned from the party because of racism she allegedly endured.

Pillay, a coloured woman, told reporters at a media briefing on Monday that minority groups in the party were frequently overlooked and mistreated.

“As a coloured woman, I have never endured the level of racism I experienced within ActionSA.

“The discrimination I faced was not from external sources or the public but from within the party’s structures.”

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Pillay said the racial tension within the party made it difficult for her to perform her duties.

“I was told I can walk out the door. If I’m not happy, I’m welcome to leave.”

Pillay criticises ActionSA for racial divisions

Pillay said the environment within ActionSA was exclusionary and toxic for minority groups.

“We cannot still operate like in the old ways. If we want to make a difference as political leaders, we need to erase racism and apartheid,” she said.

Pillay accused ActionSA leaders of not caring about the coloured areas in Tshwane.

“Instead of fostering unity, the party has become deeply divided among racial lines,” she said.

She said she has resigned from ActionSA and is now a DA member.

“I decided that I cannot continue as a member and a public representative for ActionSA,” she said.

ActionSA surprised by Pillay’s claims

Responding to the allegations, ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said Pillay has never raised the allegations of racism with the party’s leaders.

“She has not used the existing constitutional structures to raise these issues, at least to the best of my knowledge,” he said.

Beaumont said the party will not investigate Pillay’s claims since she has left.

“The fact that she is making those allegations in the arms of her new compatriot seems suspicious,” he said.

Beaumont said ActionSA had written to the council speaker to inform her of a vacancy for an ActionSA PR councillor.

She is part of a ‘DA scheme’

Meanwhile, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba told The Citizen on Monday that Pillay is part of a DA “scheme” to discredit ActionSA.

“The DA has done this before. They have spent so much money trying to discredit us,” he said.

Mashaba said he suspected that the DA is still upset about the removal of Cilliers Brink as Tshwane mayor.

He said that ActionSA is growing stronger and will fight competitively at the local government elections in 2026.

Meanwhile, the DA said it had brought Pillay into the party as part of their strategy to win the regional elections.

“The statistics show us that we can be the biggest party. We can overtake the ANC,” said DA provincial leader Solly Msimanga.

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