‘Electionitis’ and infighting: DA’s Ekurhuleni caucus faces factional fights ahead of November

According to The Citizen, the Democratic Alliance’s Ekurhuleni caucus is experiencing deep internal discord as candidate lists take shape ahead of the November local government elections.

Allegations of assault and formal complaint

According to The Citizen, ward councillor Lana Marais has accused fellow councillor Madeleine Muller of pushing her forcefully from behind during the party’s Gauteng East regional congress at the Barnyard Theatre at Emperor’s Palace last week.

According to The Citizen, Marais laid a criminal complaint against Muller at the Kempton Park police station last week after she required medical attention for injuries to her back and leg, and she was obtaining documentation in support of the complaint.

Friction over candidate selection

According to The Citizen, sources said tempers are flaring as in‑fighting grows around who will make the cut as candidates for the elections. The dispute centres on alleged downgrading or exclusion of experienced councillors from lists.

According to The Citizen, experienced councillors have allegedly been pushed down the candidate lists, or out altogether, and sources said political alignment may have played a role in who survived the process.

Claims of factional influence

According to The Citizen, one caucus source criticised the selection dynamics, saying:

“They want yes men. They don’t want thinkers.”

The same source alleged a group of provincial party figures had sought to influence the process through political manoeuvring.

According to The Citizen, one source estimated that as many as a third of the caucus’ experienced members could disappear and said critical institutional and technical knowledge could disappear with them.

Document sparks speculation around councillor Goslin

According to The Citizen, sources claimed a document associated with Boksburg councillor Gerald Goslin circulated and sparked speculation that he was considering establishing another political party to compete with the DA.

Party response and the wider picture

According to The Citizen, the DA announced this week it had completed its candidate selection process across all 257 municipalities ahead of the November election.

According to The Citizen, DA leader Geordin Hill‑Lewis acknowledged predictable dissatisfaction when lists are released, saying:

“When the lists come out, there’s always a lot of angry and disappointed people… This is normal. We experience this every time,”

and he referred to the phenomenon as “electionitis”.

What to watch next

According to The Citizen, the unfolding disputes, contestations over candidate rankings and the criminal complaint lodged in Kempton Park are all part of the tensions the party is managing as it finalises lists for November. How the DA in Ekurhuleni addresses these internal divisions will be closely watched in the run‑up to the election.