The DA is banking on its newly announced mayoral candidate Khathutshelo Rasilingwane to help the party make inroads into township constituencies in Ekurhuleni, as it positions itself to challenge long-standing voting patterns ahead of the November local government elections.
Her selection, announced by Gauteng DA leader Solly Msimanga on Friday, comes amid internal acknowledgement that the party has struggled to identify a suitable candidate from within its own ranks.
According to insiders, the process exposed gaps in the party’s local leadership pipeline, with the DA at one point considering candidates from outside its structures. Rasilingwane ultimately emerged from a field of five applicants after what the party described as a ‘formal selection process’, where she pipped DA heavyweight and perceived favourite Mike Waters. Her selection is also seen as strategic given her links to Tembisa, one of Ekurhuleni’s largest townships and the political backyard of Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, where electoral battles are expected to be fiercest.
Her candidacy comes as the DA tries to shift its electoral fortunes in a metro where it remains the second-largest party but continues to struggle in township strongholds. While the party has maintained support in suburban wards, it has historically failed to gain meaningful traction in townships such as Tembisa, Daveyton and Katlehong, where the ANC and EFF dominate. Even in recent by-elections, the DA has remained a marginal player in township wards, with contests largely fought between the ANC, ActionSA and the EFF.
In the 2021 local government elections, the DA’s support in Ekurhuleni dropped to 28.72% from 34.1% in 2016, reflecting losses across key constituencies as new entrants like ActionSA ate into its voter base. Although the DA was able to briefly govern the metro through a coalition, installing Tania Campbell as executive mayor, its inability to convert that foothold into deeper township support remains a central weakness.
Rasilingwane’s profile as a former Ekurhuleni councillor and MMC for community safety, coupled with her work as a Gauteng MPL, is central to the DA’s township strategy.
She recently gained prominence for “exposing that the Gauteng provincial government pays millions of rands monthly for empty buildings”, a record the party is expected to leverage in communities where frustration over wasteful expenditure and poor service delivery runs deep.
Outlining her campaign focus, Rasilingwane said the DA would centre its message on governance failures in the metro. “Ekurhuleni has been at the forefront of corruption, and this is what we are also going to deal with when we ascend to power.”
She added that the party would prioritise fixing the city’s finances, saying, “We need to fix the metro’s finances and deal with issues of cadre deployment. There are officials in Ekurhuleni without proper qualifications, and as such, service delivery gets affected.”
She emphasised that improving service delivery would require structural reforms within the municipality.
“It is very important to professionalise the city and bring competent individuals who are qualified to take Ekurhuleni forward,”
Rasilingwane also framed her candidacy as part of a broader push to restore accountability in local government. “We need to move fast to show our people that we are resilient when it comes to efficiency.”
Party insiders believe her track record could resonate with township voters, particularly in areas such as Tembisa. “She has been at the forefront of rooting out corruption in the Gauteng government… she is not a coward. She speaks her mind and knows what she is doing,” said one insider.
Rasilingwane, however, dismissed suggestions that her selection was based on identity considerations, insisting it was driven by merit.
“I want to emphasise that I was never selected due to my skin colour and gender… In the DA there is immense talent across all races,” she said.
