Tshwane mayoral candidates: Who wants to lead South Africa’s capital?

Residents of the City of Tshwane will have several mayoral candidates to consider when they head to the polls on 4 November, with political parties putting forward current and former leaders to contest control of South Africa’s administrative capital.

The contest includes candidates from the Democratic Alliance (DA), ActionSA, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). The African National Congress (ANC), meanwhile, has said that it will only announce mayoral candidates after the elections.

TSHWANE MAYORAL CANDIDATES FOR THE 2026 ELECTIONS

The Democratic Alliance has nominated former Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink, who is seeking to return to office after being removed through a motion of no confidence in September 2024.

Rand Water crisis affecting Tshwane consumers

Here is what we’ve been able to verify about the water outages in the east and the Moot areas of Pretoria. I stress that I am not the Mayor, but the Mayor isn’t communicating. Neither is the City.

On Sunday, a major inlet pipe burst… pic.twitter.com/OGYedxUaHf

— Cilliers Brink (@CilliersB) October 24, 2026

Brink’s removal paved the way for ActionSA’s Dr Nasiphi Moya to become mayor in October 2024. Moya is now seeking to retain the position as ActionSA’s mayoral candidate.

Today, I spent some time in Region 7 – in areas that have been impacted by the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant crisis.

We are determined to ensure that all households in the area have access to water through water tankers, Jojo tanks and boreholes. This is a temporary… pic.twitter.com/d8ZJJ60d4v

— Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) October 24, 2026

The EFF has selected its treasurer-general, Omphile Maotwe, to contest the mayoral position. The party is also seeking to strengthen its presence in the municipality as voters prepare to elect a new city council.

The MK Party has put forward Nkele Annie Matime.

LGE 2026 | MK Party mayoral candidate Nkele Annie Matime says the party will fight for land and mineral rights for residents of the City of Tshwane. pic.twitter.com/kxoiLpvkc2

— SABC News (@SABCNews) October 13, 2026

The Freedom Front Plus has nominated Willie Spies.

The IFP’s mayoral candidate is Douglas Ziyanda Zwane.

The ANC had identified six potential candidates during its selection process: Aaron Maluleka, Kgoši Maepa, Chana Pilane-Majake, Tlangi Mogale, Patience Moropa and Phumeza Mangcu. However, the party had not publicly confirmed its final choice as mentioned above.

COALITION POLITICS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Tshwane has experienced changes in political leadership and coalition arrangements since the 2021 local government elections, reflecting the challenges of governing a municipality where parties must negotiate to secure support in council.

The 2021 elections resulted in a fragmented council, with no single party securing an outright majority. Subsequent political disagreements and changes in support contributed to shifts in the mayoral leadership.

The 2026 election will determine the composition of the new city council, which will elect the mayor. Consequently, being nominated as a party’s mayoral candidate does not guarantee that a person will assume office.

Key issues for the next administration include municipal finances, reliable water and electricity supplies, infrastructure maintenance, service delivery and accountability.