Meet the men and women who want to be your next mayor | Local Government Elections 2026
Political parties have started revealing who they want to lead South Africa's major metros after November's elections, while the ANC's unusual selection process has left 42 potential candidates waiting.
The 2026 local government elections in South Africa are rapidly approaching, with political parties beginning to announce their mayoral candidates ahead of the November 4 polls. While opposition parties like the Democratic Alliance (DA), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), ActionSA, uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and others have started unveiling their frontrunners, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has yet to confirm a single mayoral candidate for the eight metropolitan municipalities.
The ANC's selection process has been different from its rivals, inviting public nominations beyond traditional party structures, leading to 42 potential candidates being unveiled in August. Despite this, the final eight candidates are yet to be decided, with the ANC's national officials expected to make the selections soon. In Johannesburg, the DA has chosen Helen Zille, former Cape Town mayor and federal council chairperson, while the EFF has selected Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng and the MK Party has named Bongani Baloyi.
The ANC's decision on who will represent them in the race for Johannesburg's mayor is still unresolved, adding to the political uncertainty leading up to the local government elections.
Brief written by urgent.news from IOL's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
