241 parties to contest elections in three Gauteng metros in South Africa — TimesLIVE
A total of 241 political parties will compete in local elections in November in three metropolitan municipalities in South Africa’s Gauteng province. The Electoral Commission of South Africa has certified candidate lists for Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, TimesLIVE reports.
Number of parties and candidate entries
The largest number of parties will participate in the Johannesburg election — 82. Tshwane has 81, while Ekurhuleni has 78. The lists for Johannesburg contain more than 9,000 candidate entries, those for Ekurhuleni contain 7,171, and those for Tshwane contain 6,774. These figures do not necessarily reflect the number of unique candidates, as one name may appear in several positions on a party list.
Since the 2016 local elections, when the African National Congress lost sole control of the three metropolitan municipalities, there has been no single-party majority government in Johannesburg, Tshwane or Ekurhuleni. Since then, the work of the councils has been influenced by coalition arrangements, shifting alliances and competition for leadership positions.
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Candidates for Johannesburg mayor
The Democratic Alliance has nominated the chair of its federal council, Helen Zille. ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba is seeking to return to the mayoral post he held from 2016 to 2019. The Economic Freedom Fighters has nominated doctor and former UN special rapporteur Tlaleng Mofokeng, the MK party has nominated former Midvaal mayor Bongani Baloyi, the Patriotic Alliance has nominated Kenny Kunene, and the Inkatha Freedom Party has nominated Mlungisi Mabaso.
At the time the lists were certified, the African National Congress had not yet selected mayoral candidates in the three metropolitan municipalities. According to the publication, recent polls indicate close races in Johannesburg and Tshwane: under these projections, no party is expected to be able to form a government on its own.
