ANC in South Africa will not name mayoral candidates before local elections — Daily Maverick
The African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa will not announce its candidates for mayoral posts before the local elections scheduled for November 4. The party fears that identifying favourites could deepen internal divisions and weaken its election campaign, Daily Maverick reports.
ANC elections chief Mdumiseni Ntuli confirmed that the party would not disclose the names of mayoral candidates across the country. According to him, potential candidates have already undergone interviews and assessments by national party officials, but little time remains before the elections, and the disappointment of those not selected could affect campaigning.
Concerns over support at the local level
According to the publication, the ANC's National Executive Committee feared resistance from supporters of contenders who would not be approved. A Daily Maverick source in the party said that local structures were insufficiently prepared to explain the reasons for selecting a particular candidate and respond to dissatisfaction.
The ANC twice postponed the announcement of the final candidates: initially, the party planned to do so in August 2026, and then postponed the decision until September. Instead of final candidates, the party published lists of contenders. The party hopes that keeping several finalists in the race will prevent competing groups from stopping work on its election campaign.
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42 contenders in eight metros
In August, the ANC presented 42 potential candidates for eight metropolitan municipalities after considering nominations from the public, party branches, and other structures. The final selection was to be made by national officials after vetting, interviews, and assessments.
In Johannesburg, the shortlist included incumbent mayor Dada Morero, regional branch chair Loyiso Masuku, and party veteran Reverend Frank Chikane. In Tshwane, the party identified six contenders; in Ekurhuleni, four, including incumbent mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza. In eThekwini, the candidates include incumbent mayor Cyril Xaba and former KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube.
Separately, South Africa's Constitutional Court ruled in favour of the ANC on October 15 in a dispute with South Africa's Electoral Commission over the exclusion of 181 councillor candidates in six municipalities. The court ordered that 51 ward candidates and 130 proportional representation candidates be included on the ballots.
