By Bongani Mdakane
The MK Party is set to reveal its mayoral candidates in Ekurhuleni, eThekwini and Johannesburg next week on Wednesday, with the party’s heavyweights in the front row.
Sunday World understands that former President Jacob Zuma’s party has identified Thulani Shongwe, an MP who also played a pivotal role at the parliamentary ad hoc committee that was looking into the corruption within the justice system, as the favourite candidate to lead the MKP’s ambitions of becoming the mayor of Ekurhuleni.
Philani Mavundla will be another person of interest for eThekwini, another highly
contested metro.
Mavundla is the former deputy mayor of eThekwini, having served after his party, the Abantu Batho Congress (ABC), formed an alliance with the ANC during the 2021 local
elections to consolidate power.
Mavundla’s party is perceived as a significant player in the MKP, and it is reported that the ABC leader and the leadership of Zuma’s party engaged in serious discussions on strategies to win Ethekwini, sources said.
“You should understand that Mavundla and his ABC party are loved by many people in KwaZulu-Natal, and it was a strategic move to place him for eThekwini to dismantle the ANC reign in the region.
“As it stands, both ABC and MKP sat down and discussed a way forward to take ANC and IFP head on for local government elections,” said our
insider with MKP.
Another source, who is a member of the MKP’s top structures, stated that the party had decided to field Shongwe for Ekurhuleni because the organisation believes he is the best candidate to take on the DA’s Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, Xolani Khumalo of ActionSA, and Bosa’s mayoral candidate, Nongelo Chiume, who is the son of the late South African actress Connie Chiume.
“Shongwe is regarded as a powerhouse of politics in the MKP, and based on how he had shown resilience and dedication in Parliament during the ad hoc committee, the party saw it fit that he was the best candidate to contest under its banner as a mayoral candidate. He knows his story, and with no doubt, the party will really do better with him as a mayoral candidate,” said our source.
Another unexpected development that will unsettle the ANC, ActionSA, EFF, and DA in Johannesburg is the announcement of Bongani Baloyi, the former mayor of Midvaal, as the MKP’s mayoral candidate in Africa’s economic hub.
Insiders within MKP’s high echelons stated that Baloyi’s track record as the DA mayor is self-evident.
“With Baloyi to be announced as the mayoral candidate for MKP in Johannesburg, the party did not get it wrong.
“He is a gem and the great candidate needed to take on Helen Zille, Herman Mashaba and the ANC head-on.
“Baloyi is loved by many people in Gauteng, and he knows how to navigate the ground and speak to the voters. As he had proven in Midvaal through service delivery and good governance, it is great that the party believes in his acumen and vision,” said a source.
MKP’s spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu did not respond to a request for comment.
- The MK Party will reveal its mayoral candidates for Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, and Johannesburg on Wednesday next week.
- Thulani Shongwe, an MP involved in investigating justice system corruption, is the preferred MKP candidate for Ekurhuleni.
- Philani Mavundla, former deputy mayor of eThekwini and leader of the Abantu Batho Congress, is the favored candidate for eThekwini.
- Bongani Baloyi, former mayor of Midvaal, will be the MKP's mayoral candidate for Johannesburg.
- MKP sources highlighted candidates' political strengths and alliances aimed at challenging the ANC, DA, ActionSA, and EFF in upcoming local elections.
