ANC names 42 possible mayoral candidates for only eight metros

The ANC was expected to announce its mayoral candidates on Saturday, 22 August, ahead of its local government election manifesto launch in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, on Sunday, but instead presented a pool of potential candidates for South Africa’s eight metros and other major cities after widening its selection process ahead of the 4 November local government elections.

The ANC’s national officials are now expected to make the final mayoral candidate selections in September.

Instead of allowing regional structures to determine the candidates, the party opened nominations to the public, alongside its branches and other structures, before candidates were screened, vetted, and interviewed.

Speaking at the announcement in Sandton, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the party has “heard people’s concerns about the state of our municipalities” and that residents have complained about leaders and councillors who are “unable or unwilling to respond to their needs”.

“These are realities that, as the ANC, we refuse to shy away from. These are realities that we are determined and committed to confront and correct.”

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said 226 people were put forward for consideration across roughly 50 municipalities and all nine provinces. He previously said the party wanted “the best of the best”.

Apart from the uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party, most major parties, including the DA, EFF, ActionSA, PA and IFP, have announced their candidates, and some have been campaigning for months.

Despite the ANC’s new process, most of those announced on Saturday are from the ANC’s existing structures, although there are several potential candidates who might be brought back to local government after serving in positions at the provincial or national level.

The ANC heads into the elections after years of declining electoral – it won 62% of the vote in 2011, 53.9% in 2016 and 47.5% in 2021. A recent Social Research Foundation poll put the ANC at 34% nationally, ahead of the DA with 27%, but the ANC was trailing the DA in Gauteng’s three metros.

Here are the ANC’s possible metro mayoral candidates.

Johannesburg

Dada Morero is the incumbent Johannesburg mayor and was elected in August 2024, having previously served as the City’s finance MMC. His administration has been marred by increasing water and electricity cuts, as well as criticism over the City’s unfunded budget. The City is facing a highly competitive race, with the DA’s Helen Zille and ActionSA’s Herman Mashaba also contending.

Loyiso Masuku is Joburg’s deputy mayor and finance MMC. She became a mayoral contender after beating Morero to become ANC Joburg regional chairperson in 2025. She has been part of the City’s executive leadership during a period of intense pressure on its finances and basic services. Her rise was highly contested and there’s no love lost between her and Morero.

Reverend Frank Chikane was the frontrunner for the Joburg candidacy and was touted as possibly being able to go toe-to-toe with Zille. But his family reportedly advised the 75-year-old to withdraw from the process due to concerns over his health and the state of Joburg. The cleric and ANC veteran is well-known for his role in the fight against apartheid and was director-general in the Presidency in Thabo Mbeki’s administration.

Tshwane

Aaron Maluleka is an ANC councillor and MMC for Human Settlements. The ANC is trying to regain ground in a metro where the DA’s Cilliers Brink is campaigning for another term. The race comes as the ANC seeks to rebuild support in the area.

Kgoši Maepa is a former ANC Tshwane regional chairperson and has also served as Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s chief of staff.

Chana Pilane-Majake is a former Member of Parliament who served as deputy minister of public service and administration from 2019 to 2024. She’s also served as the CEO of the Commission on Gender Equality.

Tlangi Mogale is the MMC of roads and transport in Tshwane and is also the ANC’s Tshwane deputy chairperson.

The list includes two lesser-known candidates, Patience Moropa and Phumeza Mangcu.

Ekurhuleni

Jongizizwe Dlabathi is the ANC regional secretary and Ekurhuleni’s finance and strategy MMC. He inherits a metro already experiencing serious political tension within the ANC.

Nkosindiphile Xhakaza has been Ekurhuleni mayor since April 2024 and was the fourth mayor elected in the metro in four years. The council has faced coalition divisions, which have continued under Xhakaza’s term, while he’s also been at odds with his finance boss, Dlabathi.

Ntombi Mekgwe is a former Ekurhuleni mayor who later served in multiple Gauteng MEC positions and as Speaker of the Gauteng Legislature. She’s the most established of the ANC’s candidates for the mayoral post.

Pelisa Nkunjani is currently Ekurhuleni’s whip of council.

eThekwini

Incumbent mayor Cyril Xaba’s tenure has unfolded during a period in which the ANC has emphasised political and administrative stability in the metro. eThekwini is arguably the ANC’s most vulnerable major metro. MK’s strength in KwaZulu-Natal has fractured the ANC’s traditional support base, while the DA and ActionSA are also contesting the City.

Nomusa Dube-Ncube is a provincial heavyweight – a former KZN premier, MEC and the current national deputy minister of higher education and training. She has also served as chief whip in the eThekwini council.

Other contenders include former MP Mina Soma-Lesoma, current eThekwini Speaker Thabani Everson Nyawose and party veteran and former provincial MEC Maggie Govender.

Nelson Mandela Bay

Andile Lungisa is an ANC NEC member and former Nelson Mandela Bay councillor. He served as an MMC for Infrastructure and Engineering after entering the metro council in 2016. Lungisa has a long political history in the metro and previously served as ANC regional chair, although his leadership has also been marked by internal party disputes. The DA’s Retief Odendaal is seeking to return as mayor after serving from 2022-23.

Babalwa Lobishe is the current Nelson Mandela Bay mayor after her 2024 election, but her term has been defined by repeated service delivery challenges and a decline in the municipality’s financial position.

Other candidates include Xolani Vela and Ntombi Nama.

Buffalo City

Incumbent mayor Princess Faku has held the position since March 2023. Faku entered local government leadership after working at the National Youth Development Agency and serving in Parliament. She became mayor after the ANC recalled her predecessor, Xola Pakati, amid concerns about the City’s audit outcomes, expenditure and revenue collection. Faku’s tenure has faced questions over municipal accountability, including criticism over her repeated failure to appear before the City's Municipal Public Accounts Committee.

The ANC remains relatively dominant in the metro.

Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nocawe Mafu is another candidate, along with Simphiwe Dzengwa and Ncedo Kumbaca.

Mangaung

Incumbent mayor Gregory Nthatisi has held his position since 2023 and previously served in the ANC’s MK Veterans Council. He was brought in by the ANC after the party removed Mxolisi Siyonzana amid concerns about poor service delivery. The DA’s Werner Pretorius is challenging the ANC in a metro where the party will be defending its long-standing control.

Former mayor and MP Thabo Manyoni is also contending, along with:

• Bongani Lawrence Mathae;

• Theodorah Mosala-Leeuw;

• Lulaman Oditi-Titi;

• Malebo Sekhopa;

• Vusimuzi Simon Soqaga;

• Motshewa Martha Tladi.

Cape Town

The DA holds a strong majority in Cape Town and is expected to win over 50% again, despite opposition parties’ attempts to reduce its majority. The ANC’s possible candidates in the City include Jeremiah Thuynsma, the party’s provincial task team convenor, as well a number of City councillors and regional leaders:

• Fiona Abrahams;

• Mareldia Chowglay;

• Lwazi Pakade;

• Zelda Tarntaal;

• Ernest Theron;

• Ndithini Tyhido;

• Luvuyo Zondani. DM