ANC set to name Johannesburg mayoral candidate as local election race tightens

The ANC is expected to announce its Johannesburg mayoral candidate on Saturday, 22 August as political parties step up campaigning ahead of the local government elections scheduled for 4 November. Johannesburg is widely seen as one of the country’s most closely contested metros.

Who currently holds the mayoral chain

The City of Johannesburg is governed by an ANC-led coalition, with Dada Morero serving as executive mayor. Morero first became mayor in September 2022 after the ANC-led coalition removed then-DA mayor Mpho Phalatse through a motion of no confidence. A Johannesburg High Court later found that the process leading to Phalatse’s removal was unlawful and reinstated her as mayor.

Phalatse was removed again through another motion of no confidence, which led to a series of short mayoral tenures: Al Jama-ah councillor Thapelo Amad became mayor in January 2023 and resigned in April 2023, followed by Kabelo Gwamanda of Al Jama-ah, who also later resigned. Dada Morero returned to the mayoral office in June 2023 and has remained in the position.

Contenders inside the ANC

Morero’s future as the ANC’s mayoral candidate has been in question since he lost the ANC Greater Johannesburg regional chairperson position to Loyiso Masuku at the party’s elective conference in December 2025. Masuku was nominated by the ANC’s Johannesburg regional executive committee as its preferred mayoral candidate, but that nomination process did not follow the ANC’s national candidate-selection requirements, and the party launched a broader process to identify its mayoral candidate. Recent reports identified Reverend Frank Chikane as a frontrunner following the party’s interviews with potential candidates.

Other parties have already named candidates

Several rival parties have announced their mayoral candidates for Johannesburg:

• The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) selected Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, a medical doctor and former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health.
• ActionSA chose its president and former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba to contest the position.
• The Democratic Alliance (DA) selected former Cape Town mayor and former Western Cape premier Helen Zille as its candidate.
• The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) named Mlungisi Mabaso, who serves as the IFP’s Johannesburg Human Settlements MMC.
• Other parties and their named candidates include: Rise Mzansi Lukhona Mnguni; Build One South Africa (BOSA) Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster; The Land Party Ntsiki Mazwai; and Al Jama-ah Shireen Ebrahim.

What to watch next

The ANC’s announcement expected on Saturday will clarify who the party will field in Johannesburg, where the mayoral contest is shaping up to be a key battleground ahead of the 4 November local elections.