JOHANNESBURG - With fewer than 100 days until the local government elections, the ANC is set to unveil the mayoral candidates it hopes will help it retain control of the country’s biggest metros.
In Johannesburg, Reverend Frank Chikane has emerged as the frontrunner, while current mayor Dada Morero’s future appears uncertain.
This follows reports that Morero failed to secure sufficient support during the party’s nomination process.
The ANC’s decision to announce its mayoral candidates ahead of the election marks a significant shift in strategy as it seeks to strengthen its campaign.
Political analyst Mpumelelo Mkhabela says early indications, while not conclusive, suggest Chikane is willing to accept the nomination.
Chikane currently serves as chairperson of the ANC Integrity Commission and is widely tipped to become the party’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate.
Mkhabela says that, if appointed, Chikane will face an uphill battle.
"I think the ANC now realises that actually its own brand has been damaged and it actually requires people of good standing to stand out there for public office to lift the brand,’ he said.
According to Mkhabela, announcing candidates before the election is a departure from the ANC’s traditional approach.
Previously, he says, the party relied heavily on the strength of its brand. However, years of governance challenges and corruption allegations have eroded public confidence.
As a result, he argues, the ANC can no longer rely on its name alone to secure votes.
He adds that voters heading to the polls on 4 November are likely to be influenced by persistent service delivery failures.
“There was a time when, for many voters, it was quite automatic. You wouldn't ask them who to vote for because the answer for most of them would be obvious.
“But now many of them are beginning to think, should I retain my vote with what was all the time the main party?”
Mkhabela says this shift in voter sentiment poses a significant threat to the ANC’s position, not only in local government but also at provincial and national level.
“We know now that the ANC is standing at just over 40 percent of the national votes from last year's general election...
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“It is that election in 2021 that brought the ANC for the first time in its 40s, culminating in the current national picture where the ANC stands at 40 percent.
He says the key question is whether the 4 November election will signal a further decline ahead of the 2029 national elections.
“This election cannot be taken lightly by the ANC. It's a very important election for purposes of showing that it's turning the corner in terms of its commitment to turn the corner in terms of the perception that it's a corrupt party and a party that is not committed to service delivery,
“At the same time, the party must show that it is committed to deploying the right people with the right calibre, who can in turn appoint the right technocrats to look after public money, ratepayers' money, to employ or procure the right service providers, and ultimately to actually use public resources efficiently for what it's meant to," he said.