Metropolitan municipalities are expected to be central to this year’s local government elections as political parties establish them as battlegrounds for power.
Following the bruising national and provincial elections in May 2024 — when the ANC lost its majority in the National Assembly — the emergence of new political parties that made strong debuts at the polls, such as the Umkhonto weSizwe party, and the rise of smaller parties like the Patriotic Alliance which now wields kingmaker status in crucial coalition negotiations, the next elections are awaited with bated breath.
The country’s eight metros are going to be highly contested, with various contenders seeking outright political power.
The next local government election is not DA vs ANC. It is a choice between decay and renewal.
— John Steenhuisen, DA leader
“The next local government election is not DA vs ANC. It is a choice between decay and renewal,” said DA leader John Steenhuisen while announcing Helen Zille’s mayoral candidacy in Johannesburg last September.
The DA was first out of the blocks, announcing its mayoral candidates more than a year before the elections when it presented political heavyweight Zille as its candidate for the troubled economic hub of the country. The party also announced candidates for Tshwane in former mayor Cilliers Brink and eThekwini in former MP Haniff Hoosen.
The move appears to have put pressure on its rivals, specifically the ANC, to announce its metro mayor candidates long before the elections.
This has stirred up debate within the party to consider prominent names from the National Assembly or the cabinet to be placed in the metros as mayoral candidates — a slight change from the party’s tradition of historically placing the regional chairperson as the mayoral candidate. This has since evolved into a selection process where at least three candidates, usually from the region, are screened and interviewed to find the best fit for the job.
Joburg has been punted as the unofficial battleground for the upcoming electoral contest, with several parties hoping to score big in the city. The hosting of the Group 20 summit in 2025 elevated residents’ long-standing cries about the crime and grime eating away at the once world-class city. Political parties will have to come out strongly on law enforcement, crime prevention, reclaiming hijacked buildings, stabilising water and electricity supply and the cleanup of the city to gain favour with voters.
While ActionSA has opened up the nomination process “for a credible candidate to lead Joburg”, sources believe party leader Herman Mashaba is likely to run for the mayoral chain, as he has “unfinished business” with the city.
Mashaba was Joburg’s mayor between August 2016 and November 2019 under the DA. He previously told the Sunday Times he had approached Lindiwe Mazibuko to be the face of his party’s campaign, but she reportedly declined after talks.
Forecasting to 2026, an Ipsos study found that 54% of South Africans favour interparty co-operation at the municipal level
Meanwhile, the Patriotic Alliance’s deputy president, Kenny Kunene, has not been shy about his ambitions, promising to reclaim Joburg should he be voted in.
Currently, the ANC holds the mayoral seat, propped up by a government of local unity consisting of the EFF, PA and minority parties. However, the fragmentation of votes that has led to this coalition is somewhat blamed for the instability in the metro, amid an unending game of mayoral musical chairs.
Forecasting to 2026, an Ipsos study found that 54% of South Africans favour interparty co-operation at the municipal level. This is said to reflect a desire for collaborative governance similar to the national government of national unity (GNU).
According to the latest reports, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) recorded 508 political parties as registered to contest the local government polls, with 62 new parties formed since the last general election in 2024.
The IEC has confirmed that, after exploring its feasibility, there would be no form of electronic voting in the local polls.
While the date has not yet been confirmed, the commission indicated anywhere between November 2 2026 and the end of January 2027.
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