Election race heats up as parties announce mayor candidates
The newly announced mayoral candidates and DA leadership at a press briefing, as the party ramps up its campaign ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
Image: Armand Hough/ Independent Newspapers
Political parties are positioning ahead of the 2026 local government elections, with Cape Town’s race drawing early focus as the DA announced its latest group of 11 mayoral candidates in the Western Cape, but has yet to name its pick for the metro.
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) has already named its Cape Town mayoral pick, while the ANC is still finalising its selection process.
The National Coloured Congress (NCC) has confirmed its nominee, ActionSA has yet to make a formal announcement despite active campaigning, and the GOOD Party is still preparing its election approach.
The PA has named Cheslyn Steenberg as its Cape Town mayoral candidate, with party leader Gayton McKenzie describing him as a future leader who rose through the party’s ranks after winning a by-election in Kensington and later serving as chief whip in council.
“Young people grow in the PA… Cheslyn is facing his biggest opportunity,” McKenzie said.
The ANC says its selection process is underway.
Provincial spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said the process has begun with branch meetings.
“Prospective mayoral candidates for metros and secondary cities will be interviewed and final announcements will be made just before the end of June,” Mtsweni said.
Last week, the NCC announced Ellen Pakkies as its Cape Town mayoral candidate, with her campaign expected to focus on tackling drug abuse and supporting vulnerable communities on the Cape Flats.
Pakkies, a community activist, has spoken publicly about the impact of drug addiction and gangsterism on families, positioning her campaign around intervention, rehabilitation support and safer communities.
While ActionSA’s Dereleen James has been on the ground in communities, including Mitchells Plain and Bonteheuwel, the party has not yet formally announced its Cape Town mayoral candidate.
The GOOD Party has not yet announced its Cape Town mayoral candidate and is expected to do so at a later stage as it prepares its campaign for the upcoming elections.
Amid this, the DA on Tuesday named candidates for 11 municipalities, all currently under its governance, in what it described as a continued push to strengthen service delivery and maintain control of key councils.
Among those announced are Jessica Kamkam for Bitou, Mario Wessels for Bergrivier, Raymond Ross for Cape Agulhas, Stephen Korabie for Drakenstein, Marais Kruger for the Garden Route District, Browen Johnson for George, Richard van Huyssteen for Matzikama, Clinton Lerm for Overstrand, Harold Cleophas for Swartland, Jeremy Fasser for Stellenbosch and Trevor Abrahams for Witzenberg.
DA Western Cape leader Tertius Simmers said the party was deliberately staggering its announcements, confirming that its Cape Town mayoral candidate would only be revealed as part of the final group next month.
“The metro is obviously drawing a tremendous amount of attention, as the largest municipality, but we will first be naming the other candidates to the media before making this official announcement,” Simmers said.
“It’s not just about the candidates… it is about the confidence which we as a party have in these candidates,” he said.
“It’s about continuing to build the momentum as we gear up towards our local government convention.”
He said the party had selected 30 mayoral candidates across the province through a “rigorous process”, adding that the focus now shifts to campaign readiness and governance planning.
“These candidates came through a rigorous process and will now… do proper planning so that when they hit government, after the elections, they are ready for implementation,” he said.
In Cape Town, current mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is expected to run for re-election, although the DA has yet to formally confirm its candidate.
Hill-Lewis, addressing the latest cohort of candidates, said: “Every single election boils down to a fundamental choice… between going backwards and going forwards.”
“The next six, seven, eight months are going to be hard work on the campaign trail,” he said.
“We are now basically already in an election campaign.”
The DA said its candidates are tasked with maintaining high governance standards, improving service delivery and enhancing quality of life, pointing to its track record of clean audits in the Western Cape as evidence of its performance in office.