🇿🇦 A People-Powered Movement #PutVaalPeopleFirst

Restoring dignity.
Fighting injustice.
United we rise.

Active Citizens of South Africa is a movement of citizens serving Sedibeng with integrity, diligence and unwavering dedication. Our covenant: to Listen · to Act · to Serve · to Unite.

Read the Manifesto Download Documents Join the Movement

Active Citizens of SA — leaders, members and supporters on the ground in the Vaal

Together we build, together we winVaal • Sedibeng District

Explore

Issue resolvedSebokeng Zone 14

+64 joinedthis week

0Communities Reached

+Sewers & Drains Cleared

+Community Projects

+Active Volunteers

What We Stand For

Four pillars. One united Vaal.

ACSA exists to put people first — with practical solutions that restore dignity, create opportunity and hold leadership to account.

Service Delivery

Clean water, working sewers, waste removal and maintained infrastructure — delivered, not debated.

Jobs & Local Economy

Backing local entrepreneurs, skills and township enterprise so Vaal money stays in the Vaal.

Safe & Clean Communities

Safer streets, lit spaces and clean neighbourhoods where families and children can thrive.

Accountable Leadership

Transparent, servant leadership that answers to the community — not the other way around.

ACSA volunteers clearing waste and unblocking drains in a Vaal community

100%People-
powered

Our Mission

We don't wait for change. We are the change.

While others make promises, ACSA rolls up its sleeves. Our volunteers unblock sewers, clear illegal dumping, restore infrastructure and stand with residents — every single week.

Born from frustration with broken systems, ACSA is a movement of ordinary citizens taking back responsibility for their own communities. We combine hands-on action with a serious plan for economic development and clean, accountable governance.

Rooted in the Vaal — Sebokeng, Evaton, Sharpeville & beyond
Real service delivery, funded and driven by the community
A credible plan for jobs, dignity and economic growth

Our Story

On The Ground

Real work. Real places. Real people.

Documentary photos from ACSA service-delivery drives — from broken infrastructure to community-led repairs.

See the full gallery →

Sunset over a temporary concrete-pipe crossing built by ACSA over an overflowing sewer channel

The RealityWhere the state stopped, we started

ACSA members crossing a makeshift pipe bridge to reach residents cut off by sewer overflow

Service DeliveryReaching residents the municipality can't

ACSA flag flying at a service delivery site during infrastructure repair

Boots On The GroundThe ACSA flag where the work happens

Broken manhole rings scattered in raw sewage — the problem ACSA is fixing

The ProblemThe daily reality — before we arrive

On The Ground

Campaigns making a difference

View all campaigns

ACSA member repairing a blocked sewer line

Service Delivery

Operation Clean Flow

Unblocking sewers and restoring drainage across Vaal townships before the rains hit.

340 sites cleared78%

Volunteers removing illegal dumping from an open field

Clean Communities

Reclaim Our Spaces

Clearing illegal dumping and reclaiming open fields as safe, clean community spaces.

52 sites reclaimed64%

ACSA voter registration weekend campaign poster

Civic Power

Register to Rise

Getting every eligible Vaal resident registered and ready to vote for real change.

8,400 registered41%

See Something? Say Something.

Report an issue in 4 simple steps

Potholes, burst pipes, blocked drains, illegal dumping or broken lights — tell us and our teams mobilise.

1

Snap a photo

Capture the problem — an image tells the full story.

2

Pin the location

Tell us where it is so our team can find it fast.

3

Submit the report

Send it via our form or straight to WhatsApp.

4

We act & update

Our volunteers respond and keep you posted.

Report an Issue Now

“

Divided we fall. United we rise. When active citizens act together, no broken system can stand in our way.

— The ACSA Movement

Service DeliveryDignity RestoredLocal JobsClean CommunitiesAccountable LeadershipPut Vaal People First Service DeliveryDignity RestoredLocal JobsClean CommunitiesAccountable LeadershipPut Vaal People First

Be Part Of It

Your community needs you.

Join thousands of active citizens restoring the Vaal — one street, one family, one victory at a time.

Join the Movement Talk to Us

Who We Are

A movement born from the people, for the people.

Active Citizens of South Africa is more than an organisation — it's a promise that ordinary people, united, can rebuild what broken systems left behind.

Home / About

Our Story

From frustration to a force for good

ACSA began where change always begins — on the ground, among neighbours tired of waiting.

In the streets of the Vaal, residents watched sewers overflow, refuse pile up and promises evaporate. Instead of waiting for someone else, a group of active citizens picked up the tools themselves.

What started as a handful of volunteers unblocking drains has grown into a credible national movement — with a clear plan for service delivery, economic development and clean, accountable leadership. We are non-partisan in spirit and unapologetically pro-community.

Stand With Us

Excella — an ACSA member rodding a blocked sewer line in a Vaal yard flooded with wastewater

VaalSedibeng
District

Our Vision

A better future and right livelihood for families and individuals in our communities — and self-sustainable communities.

We envision a Sedibeng where every family thrives, where opportunity is not a lottery of postcodes, and where every community holds the tools and the confidence to shape its own future.

Our Mission

To improve the quality of life of local communities and businesses through sustainable local development and proper infrastructure-backed service delivery.

We turn promises into pipes fixed, streets cleaned, drains cleared and jobs created — not slogans, but measurable local outcomes delivered ward by ward.

Our Core Values

Five principles that anchor every decision we make

01

People First

People are at the very centre and heart of development — the force behind everything we do.

02

Transparency

Open books, open tenders, open meetings. Accountability drives every one of our actions.

03

Sustainability

Built into every intervention we pursue — because short-term wins that break long-term systems aren't wins.

04

Integrity

Doing the right thing when nobody's looking. The standard we hold ourselves — and our representatives — to.

05

Honesty & Trust

Say what you mean. Do what you said. Earn the trust of every citizen through consistent, verifiable action.

Our Covenant with Sedibeng

Four pledges that define how we govern — from day one.

01

To Listen

Your voice, your concerns, your aspirations and your feedback come first in every decision we make.

02

To Act

Promises translated into tangible actions and measurable results. No empty rhetoric — only concrete plans and visible improvements.

03

To Serve

The needs of the community above all else. The highest standards of integrity, transparency and dedication. Public good, not personal gain.

04

To Unite

Genuine collaboration and social cohesion across every community and demographic in Sedibeng. Together we build stronger.

Our Journey

The road we've walked together

THE SPARK

Neighbours take a stand

Frustrated residents begin clearing blocked drains and dumping sites themselves — proving that action beats waiting.

THE MOVEMENT

ACSA is formed

Active Citizens of South Africa is founded, uniting volunteers under one banner: Divided We Fall, United We Rise.

THE GROWTH

Communities join in

Dozens of Vaal communities partner with ACSA on service delivery, clean-ups and local economic projects.

2026

Onto the ballot

ACSA mobilises for the local government elections on 4 November 2026 — determined to Put Vaal People First.

Leadership · Management

The founders behind the movement

The party leader and co-founder who built ACSA from the streets of the Vaal — read the full profiles below.

Home / Leadership

Party Leader • Co-Founder

Robert Thema

Founding member • Active Citizens of SA

He holds a BCom in Economics and Industrial Psychology and other degrees. He has a combined experience of 20 years in local government. He served as a Councillor (responsible for finance), Director (Development Planning) and Manager (Special Projects). Robert has also gained wide experience in the field of project management and coordination, where he oversees the implementation of infrastructure projects. He is also a dairy farmer, manufacturing dairy products.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Theology at Fort Hare
Bachelor of Commerce at North West University
Master in Business Administration at Regenesys Business School

Courses attended

Municipal Leadership
Certificate in Project Management
Management of Risk in Construction
Conflict Resolution
Community Development
Communication Skills

Movement building

He is a co-founder of Ekasi Business Federation, of which he served as a Provincial Secretary. He is also a co-founder of Karibu Enterprise Business Association, of which he served as a chairperson — in pursuit of the development of small business and the Ekasi economy.

He started his activist life in the early 90s. He served as an SRC at Fort Hare University. He served as Secretary and Chairperson at branch and zonal level of the ANC for 10 years, and further served as a Deputy Chairperson of the region. In 2022 he was a co-founder of Active Citizens of SA.

Co-Founder

Edwin Kele

Founding member • Active Citizens of SA

Edwin Kele was born on 17 April 1984. He is a political activist. He was elected as a councillor at the age of 27 and appointed as the Portfolio Chair on Finance and Revenue. He served as a member of the Mayoral Committee responsible for Sports, Arts and Culture in 2016, and for Human Settlement from 2017 to 2021. He studied Public Management and Administration at the University of Johannesburg.

Action, Not Words