Cyril Xaba leads in eThekwini mayoral race as local elections approach
With local government elections on the horizon, Cyril Xaba emerges as the frontrunner in the eThekwini mayoral race according to prediction markets, but analysts warn against over-reliance on these forecasts
As eThekwini prepares for upcoming local elections, a prediction market indicates current frontrunner Cyril Xaba holds a 38% lead over the other candidates. The Polymarket, an online platform for trading on future event probabilities, projects Xaba at 38%, followed closely by ActionSA candidate Zwakele Mncwango at 17%. Zandile Gumede and DA contender Haniff Hoosen follow with 12% each, while EFF candidate Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi lags behind with 4%.
However, political analyst Goodenough Mashego warns against over-interpreting these market predictions, noting their lack of reliability and potential for manipulation. Xaba is one of five ANC candidates on the eThekwini shortlist, alongside Nomusa Dube-Ncube, Thabani Nyawose, Mina Soma-Lesoma, and Maggie Govender. The race unfolds as eThekwini holds a coalition government, with the ANC leading the coalition with 121 seats, bolstered by the EFF and NFP.
The ANC's dominance in the 2021 local elections was 42.1%, with the DA at 25.9% and the EFF at 10.5%. Analyst Mashego speculates the MK Party may emerge as a strong contender, potentially elevating Zandile Gumede as their mayoral candidate due to perceived stability during her tenure.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
