The African National Congress (ANC) has unveiled its pool of mayoral hopefuls ahead of the November local government elections, but voters will have to wait until September to find out who will ultimately carry the party’s flag in each of the country’s major cities and metros.
The ANC presented multiple candidates for each municipality at a gathering in Sandton on Saturday, rather than naming a single mayoral candidate per city. The party says the final selections will be made by its national officials next month.
The list follows a centralised selection process that included nominations from ANC structures as well as the public. The party had previously said the process applies to all eight metropolitan municipalities and designated strategic secondary cities.
The candidate pool includes several high-profile names in the country’s biggest political battlegrounds.
In Johannesburg, the ANC has put forward current Mayor Dada Morero, Loyiso Masuku and former deputy minister Frank Chikane. The three names appear on the party’s Johannesburg list contained in the mayoral candidate document.
Johannesburg is expected to be one of the most closely contested races in the country, with the ANC facing established opposition from parties including the DA and ActionSA. The party’s eventual choice will therefore be closely watched as it seeks to retain control of the country’s economic hub.
In Tshwane, the ANC’s shortlist includes six names: Kgosi Maepa, Chana Majake, Aaron Maluleka, Tlangi Mogale, Patience Moropa and Phumeza Mangcu.
The battle for the capital is also expected to be significant, with the ANC seeking to regain ground in a metro that has been marked by political instability and changing leadership.
Further south-east, eThekwini — the country’s largest metro in KwaZulu-Natal — has six names on the ANC’s list: Cyril Xaba, Nomusa Dube, Mina Soma-Lesoma, Thabani Everson Nyawose, Maggie Govender and another candidate listed in the party document.
The ANC will also have to make a decision in Cape Town, where eight candidates have been listed for the metro. They are Fiona Abrahams, Mareldia Chowglay, Lwazi Pakade, Zelda Tarntaal, Jeremiah Thuynsma, Ernest Theron, Ndithini Tyhido and Luvuyo Zondani.
Cape Town presents a particularly challenging contest for the ANC, which is attempting to strengthen its position in a city and province dominated by the DA.
The decision to release multiple names instead of immediately announcing one candidate marks a change from what many expected ahead of Saturday’s announcement. The ANC had advertised the event as an opportunity to introduce its mayoral candidates before its local government election manifesto launch.
But the party opted instead to reveal the finalists while keeping the final decision with its national leadership.
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula confirmed that the individual mayoral candidates will only be announced in September.
With the local government elections scheduled for 4 November, the ANC now has just weeks to settle its final choices and put individual candidates at the centre of its campaign.
