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Parties name Ekurhuleni mayoral candidates for 2026 elections

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Ongoing: Elections Hot

The ANC, DA, EFF and ActionSA have named mayoral candidates for Ekurhuleni ahead of the 2026 local government elections. The ANC has not yet finalised its candidate, and incumbent mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza is deployed as its candidate.

The DA's candidate is Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, 36, a member of the Gauteng Legislature. The EFF has chosen Nthabiseng Tshivhenga, 43, a former Ekurhuleni Speaker. ActionSA's candidate is Xolani Khumalo, 36, a media personality and anti-drug activist.

Xhakaza is 49. Former Ekurhuleni Finance MMC Jongizizwe Dlabathi is also competing for the ANC candidacy. Minor parties have candidates too: Themba "skeem GP" Nzimande for Afrika Mayibuye, and Thulani Shongwe for the Umkhonto We Sizwe Party. Shongwe is an MP and sits on Parliament's ad hoc committee on SAPS criminality.

Corruption allegations mark the race. Reports said Xhakaza's administration since 2024 faces corruption allegations, and several current and former senior managers face criminal charges. Chief forensic auditor Mpho Mafole was killed in June last year, allegedly before he reported an irregular tender worth over a billion rand.

Tshivhenga was accused of taking kickbacks from service providers, and Khumalo faces legal issues linked to filming Sizok'thola. Murder charges from a 2023 matter against him have been provisionally withdrawn. The DA has been accused of failing to prevent alleged criminal infiltration of the City.

Key facts

Who
Nkosindiphile Xhakaza (ANC incumbent mayor of Ekurhuleni, deployed as ANC mayoral candidate); Jongizizwe Dlabathi (former Ekurhuleni Finance MMC, competing for ANC candidacy); Khathutshelo Rasilingwane (DA mayoral candidate, member of the Gauteng Legislature); Nthabiseng Tshivhenga (EFF mayoral candidate, former Ekurhuleni Speaker)
When
27 October 2026
Where
Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, Thembisa
Status
Reported

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