UMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) appears to be banking on the popularity of its president Jacob Zuma in key metros across the country as it unveiled mayoral candidates on Friday, most of whom are relatively unknown to the public.
The party, in a media briefing in uMhlanga, announced that Bongani Baloyi was its candidate for Johannesburg, Thulani Shongwe for Ekurhuleni, and Zandile Hlophe-Mkhwanazi for eThekwini.
For Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape, the party fielded Mvuleni Mapu while Mzwandile Vaaiboom was named for Buffalo City in East London.
In Mangaung in the Free State, the party entrusted former ANC Speaker and acting mayor Mapaseka Mothibi to win the metro. It named candidates for six of the eight metros.
With the exception of Baloyi and Shongwe, the rest of the candidates do not have significant public profiles.
Baloyi has previously served as the DA mayor in Midvaal Municipality. During his tenure the municipality received seven consecutive clean audits and also vastly improved its performance ranking.
After leaving the DA, he joined ActionSA, then later formed his own party, Xiluva, before merging it with the MKP.
Shongwe, an MKP member of Parliament, rose to prominence when he was appointed to serve in the Ad Hoc Committee set up to investigate claims of political interference in police work by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
The announcement of Hlophe-Mkhwanazi in eThekwini came as a surprise, as it was expected that former mayor Zandile Gumede or former deputy mayor Philani Mavundla would be selected. The party had initially struck a deal with Mavundla, who is the leader of the Abantu Batho Congress, to form a partnership and contest elections under the MKP. It was reported at the time that the agreement was that he would be made the mayoral candidate.
Outlining its operational readiness, the party confirmed it is consolidating its “People’s Mandate”, tightening campaign logistics, adjudicating candidate disputes, and mobilising its volunteer base ahead of the November 4 elections.
According to party leadership, a draft 2026 Local Government Manifesto was submitted to national officials, with the Secretary-General’s Office tasked with incorporating final inputs before formal release on September 4. The party also claimed to have registered more than 300,000 new members since June 16.
To support its campaign machinery, the MKP introduced the “Gwaza Election Operations Centre” – a facility it described as a real-time election monitoring hub designed to oversee vote tallies and coordinate ground communications.
Asked whether the party’s prospects would be weakened by fielding candidates that were not well known, political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said that this is a non-factor in South African politics, where people mainly vote for a party rather than an individual.
He also pointed out that Zuma’s popularity surpasses that of his party. Seepe further stated that a mayor appointed by a political party would implement party directives, so ultimately, it is the party that takes responsibility for performance.
“I do not see mayoral candidates single-handedly winning the metros for their parties. Mayors are just messengers of the parties who will be taking marching orders from their political bosses.
“As much as they will be the faces of the party campaigns in the metros, people ultimately vote for parties, not for individuals. People know that they can be removed at any given time, particularly in the MKP where Jacob Zuma is known for not hesitating to remove anyone in any position, as we saw him removing ministers while he was president of the country,” said Seepe.
Attempts to reach Mavundla were unsuccessful; however, a source close to him said that his party successfully submitted candidate lists and would contest the elections independently, including in eThekwini.
“I think that they will discuss the new arrangement after the elections. Seeing that no party is likely to win an outright majority in eThekwini, Mavundla can still be the mayor,” the source said.
willem.phungula@national.mg.co.za