ANC's 42-candidate mayoral pool signals delayed metro leadership decisions ahead of Novemb

A slate of 42 names, not eight confirmed mayors. That is where the African National Congress stands as South Africa’s 4 November local government elections approach.

The party released its expanded pool of potential mayoral candidates on Saturday, 22 August, in Sandton, deferring final appointments for all eight metropolitan municipalities to September. The decision signals a deliberate shift in how the ANC is approaching candidate selection, one with direct implications for which operators will control municipal budgets, infrastructure spending, and service contracts across the country’s largest urban economies.

Additional reference context is available at https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-22-anc-names-42-possible-mayoral-candidates-for-only-eight-metros/.

Rather than leaving nominations to regional party structures alone, the ANC opened the process to public submissions alongside its branches and internal bodies. Candidates then moved through screening, vetting, and interview stages. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula confirmed that 226 people were put forward across roughly 50 municipalities and all nine provinces, with the party seeking, in his words, “the best of the best.” President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking at the Sandton announcement, acknowledged that the ANC has “heard people’s concerns about the state of our municipalities” and that residents have complained about leaders “unable or unwilling to respond to their needs.”

The electoral backdrop is stark. The ANC captured 62 percent of the national vote in 2011, fell to 53.9 percent in 2016, and slipped further to 47.5 percent in 2021. A recent Social Research Foundation poll placed the party at 34 percent nationally. It leads the Democratic Alliance’s 27 percent in aggregate, but trails the DA across Gauteng’s three metros, the country’s most economically significant battleground.

Meanwhile, most major opposition parties have already locked in their candidates, with some campaigning for months. The DA, Economic Freedom Fighters, ActionSA, Patriotic Alliance, and Inkatha Freedom Party have all made their selections public. The uMkhonto Wesizwe party remains the primary exception among major contenders.

Johannesburg, South Africa’s financial capital, carries the highest stakes. Incumbent mayor Dada Morero, elected in August 2024 after serving as the City’s finance MMC, has overseen a period of escalating water and electricity cuts and drawn criticism over an unfunded budget. His internal rival, Deputy Mayor Loyiso Masuku (who also holds the finance MMC portfolio), emerged as a mayoral contender after defeating Morero to become ANC Joburg regional chairperson in 2025. Tensions between the two remain visible. Reverend Frank Chikane, the 75-year-old apartheid-era veteran and former director-general in the Presidency under Thabo Mbeki, was initially considered a frontrunner but reportedly withdrew citing health concerns and the scale of Johannesburg’s challenges. The DA’s Helen Zille and ActionSA’s Herman Mashaba are also contending for the mayoralty.

Tshwane presents a different competitive picture. Aaron Maluleka, an ANC councillor and MMC for Human Settlements, leads a slate that includes former regional chairperson Kgoši Maepa and Chana Pilane-Majake, a former Member of Parliament who served as deputy minister of public service and administration from 2019 to 2024. Tlangi Mogale, the MMC of roads and transport and ANC Tshwane deputy chairperson, also features. The DA’s Cilliers Brink is campaigning for another term in a metro where the ANC is attempting to rebuild support.

In Ekurhuleni, internal friction complicates the ANC’s position. Jongizizwe Dlabathi, the regional secretary and finance and strategy MMC, has clashed with incumbent mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, elected in April 2024 and the fourth person to hold the post in four years, over financial matters. Ntombi Mekgwe, a former Ekurhuleni mayor who later served as a Gauteng MEC and Speaker of the Gauteng Legislature, represents the most established candidacy in the field.

eThekwini is arguably the ANC’s most exposed major metro. The uMkhonto Wesizwe party’s strength in KwaZulu-Natal has fractured the ANC’s traditional support base, putting incumbent mayor Cyril Xaba’s position under pressure. Nomusa Dube-Ncube, a former KZN premier and current national deputy minister of higher education and training, stands among the contenders alongside former MP Mina Soma-Lesoma and party veteran Maggie Govender.

In Nelson Mandela Bay, Andile Lungisa, an ANC NEC member and former councillor, competes against incumbent mayor Babalwa Lobishe, whose tenure has been marked by service delivery challenges and financial decline. The DA’s Retief Odendaal is seeking to return as mayor.

Buffalo City’s incumbent mayor Princess Faku, who took office in March 2023 after the ANC recalled her predecessor amid audit and revenue concerns, faces continued questions over municipal accountability. Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nocawe Mafu is also listed as a candidate in a metro where the ANC remains relatively dominant.

Mangaung incumbent Gregory Nthatisi, who assumed office in 2023 after the ANC removed his predecessor over service delivery failures, faces the DA’s Werner Pretorius. Former mayor and MP Thabo Manyoni is among the competing candidates in a metro the party has long controlled.

Cape Town is the outlier. The DA holds a strong majority and is expected to exceed 50 percent again. The ANC’s possible candidates include Jeremiah Thuynsma, the party’s provincial task team convenor, alongside several City councillors and regional leaders.

With September’s final selections still to come, the question hanging over the process is whether a broader, more rigorous vetting exercise will produce mayors capable of stabilising municipal finances, or whether internal party tensions will ultimately determine who controls the budgets.