In a regrettable display of political theatre masquerading as accountability, ActionSA has launched an indecent public attack on Rustenburg’s Municipal Manager, Advocate Ashmar Khuduge, alleging financial misconduct without presenting a single substantiated claim of criminal intent or unlawful enrichment. This is not oversight but blatant character assassination dressed in legalese and to score Brownie points with the electorate - what a cheap and pathetically desperate move ahead of next years elections.

Let us be clear: Rustenburg is governed by the African National Congress (ANC), and Advocate Khuduge serves not as a politician, but as a professional legal officer bound by the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and the Constitution. His role demands not only legal compliance but also real-world responsiveness to the urgent needs of residents — needs that cannot always be met by rigid bureaucratic formulas which ActionSA well know.

The MFMA: Law with Discretion, Not Dogma

ActionSA’s statement cherry-picks from the Auditor-General’s reports and financial notes, attempting to paint a picture of misconduct. Yet nowhere do they allege that the Municipal Manager personally benefited, acted outside his legal mandate, or failed to record justifiable reasons for his decisions. The MFMA itself allows for discretionary action in extraordinary circumstances—especially when service delivery is at stake. Section 114, which they cite, is not a prohibition but a mechanism for emergency procurement when lives and dignity are on the line. Maybe the dignity of Black people is not important to them who stay in white middle class areas of Rustenburg.

Water, sanitation, and basic infrastructure cannot wait for factional consensus or opposition grandstanding. The MM’s duty is to act, record, and justify—not to play puppet to political whims.

Political Hyenas in the Arena of Governance

ActionSA, led by former DA figures, seems more interested in scoring points against the ANC than in understanding the complex realities of municipal governance. Their decision to lay charges without first exhausting internal council mechanisms or engaging constructively with the Speaker reveals a troubling disregard for due process. It is not accountability — it is ambush by political design.

Their targeting of Advocate Khuduge, a legal professional with no political mandate, is cowardly. If ActionSA truly had evidence of corruption, they would pursue it through the courts, not the media. Knowing them well they would have gone to the police station in Braamfontein and lay a charge in full view of the world media. Instead, they resort to public spectacle, hoping to tarnish the ANC by proxy. This is not the behavior of principled opposition — it is the desperation of a party that has lost its moral compass, it is just sad that Athol Trollip a trule great leader lets himself be dragged down the gutter by Herman Mashaba.

Upholding Dignity in the Face of Smear Campaigns

Advocate Khuduge operates under immense pressure: factional tensions, policy gridlock, and a council often divided more by ideology than by service delivery priorities. Yet he continues to uphold the law, make difficult decisions, and serve the people of Rustenburg with professionalism. To impugn his dignity without evidence is not just unfair — it is dangerous precedent and I fear if ActionSA starts down that path it is a difficult one to extricate themselves from as it is easier breakdown than to build - the very thing they accuse the ANC of.

We must ask: what kind of opposition targets civil servants instead of policies? What kind of party lays charges in the press before the courts? What kind of leadership attacks the person instead of the process? Talk about playing the man and not the ball.

A Call for Responsible Opposition

South Africa needs robust integrity based oversight, not reckless accusations. We need opposition parties that understand the MFMA, engage with council processes, and respect the offices of those who serve. ActionSA’s conduct in this matter is not just politically slanted — it is politically bankrupt, whether this was sanctioned by Herman Mashaba or the local councilors hoping to impress their bosses remains to be seen. If it was not sanctioned by Herman Mashaba then the leadership of the party should sanction these local councilors who are making the party look bad by attacking the integrity of the MM of Rustenburg a man long respected by the citizens of this town where Paul Kruger was born. If these political hyenas were sincere they would privately speak to the MM and tell him his mistakes and not tell it to others in public, because his mistakes are to be corrected by him and not by others. 

Let us defend the dignity of our institutions, the professionalism of our officers, and the principle that justice must be pursued with clear evidenced based facts, not fury or political opportunism.

As my grandmother used to tell me the African proverb told by generations :  “When the jackals howl, the shepherd does not abandon the flock. He tightens his grip, steadies his gaze, and walks forward.”  

Issued by Untold Stories RSA Network 

Executive chairman