ActionSA has escalated its fight against alleged political cronyism by lodging a formal complaint with the Public Protector’s Office, demanding an official investigation into Resolve Communications, a public relations firm owned by former DA leader Tony Leon and its alleged dealings with Government of National Unity (GNU) ministers.

The move follows explosive allegations that the firm used its political proximity to backchannel access for corporate clients, sparking fierce debate over where legitimate lobbying ends and State capture begins.

Former DA leader John Steenhuisen recently claimed that Resolve Communications tried to broker meetings between its private clients and several newly appointed GNU ministers.

ActionSA National Chairperson Michael Beaumont noted that the most prominent claim involves Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink, in which Resolve Communications is alleged to have facilitated a meeting between Starlink representatives and Communications Minister Solly Malatsi.

The allegations claim that Leon pressured the Minister regarding the slow pace of the government's regulatory response to the tech giant.

In response to the growing friction, Leon and current DA leadership figures, including Geordin Hill-Lewis, have dismissed the allegations. They have defended the interactions as standard industry "lobbying." ActionSA strongly rejects this defence.

Beaumont argued that the alignment in their responses stems from Leon's “enduring political influence” within the DA, which he claims is now being leveraged against DA representatives serving in the national government.

"What they claim to be lobbying appears to be something far more sinister," Beaumont warned, drawing a direct parallel to South Africa’s recent history of State capture.

The party highlighted a previous incident where Leon allegedly attempted to facilitate a R300-million contract for a Resolve Communications client during a private meeting with Herman Mashaba, who was the Mayor of Johannesburg at the time.

Mashaba reportedly rejected the deal and lodged an internal complaint with the DA.

In a controversial turn of events, Leon was later appointed to chair the review panel into Mashaba’s city government, a process that ultimately paved the way for Mashaba’s exit from the mayoral office and the party.

ActionSA has made it clear that the Public Protector complaint is only the first step in a broader campaign to uncover the truth. The party said it will lodge formal parliamentary questions to all DA ministers and deputy ministers regarding their official and unofficial engagements with Resolve Communications.

ActionSA will request that the Minister of Communications and representatives from Resolve Communications be hauled before the relevant parliamentary portfolio committee to account for their conduct under oath.

The friction highlights the shifting dynamics of accountability in South Africa’s multi-party governance era.

ActionSA noted that while corruption allegations historically targeted one dominant party during the first 32 years of democracy, the expansion of the GNU means oversight must expand too.

The party maintains that if the investigation uncovers wrongdoing, strict legal and political consequences must follow.