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ActionSA has confirmed that it has finalised its internal nominations process for its Johannesburg mayoral candidate and is expecting to announce the nominee in February, but the party is not ruling out party leader Herman Mashaba as a contender.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cActionSA has concluded its internal nomination process, and plans are underway to announce our candidate in February,\u201d national spokesperson Matthew George told News.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are confident that the individual we put forward in the next month will be the most qualified and competent candidate, who will represent the best interests of the residents of Johannesburg.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In a sit-down interview with News in November last year, Mashaba indicated that he would consider contesting the mayoral position ahead of the 2026 local government elections if the party could not identify a suitable candidate.<\/span><\/p>\n Mashaba said that if ActionSA failed to find someone with the same \u201cqualities\u201d as City of Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya and the party\u2019s Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Xolani Dlamini, he would be willing to step in himself.<\/span><\/p>\n This followed ActionSA\u2019s opening of nominations for its Johannesburg mayoral candidate in preparation for the 2026 elections. <\/span><\/p>\n Nominations closed at the end of November 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n The contest for Johannesburg\u2019s mayoral seat is intensifying as the elections draw closer. <\/span><\/p>\n At this stage, only two candidates have officially entered the race: DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille and Patriotic Alliance candidate Kenny Kunene, who currently serves as MMC for transport in the metro.<\/span><\/p>\n Johannesburg continues to struggle with severe service delivery challenges, including water and electricity shortages, potholes, deteriorating infrastructure, uncollected refuse, and non-functioning streetlights and traffic signals.<\/span><\/p>\n The ANC has not yet confirmed whether it will retain incumbent mayor Dada Morero or nominate another candidate.<\/span><\/p>\n Zille previously served as mayor of Cape Town and as Western Cape premier.<\/span><\/p>\n Independent political analyst Goodenough Mashego said ActionSA was likely to nominate Mashaba as its mayoral candidate.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMashaba has been a mayor of Joburg, and by all indications, when he was mayor, things were moving,\u201d Mashego said. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere was a coalition, and there were other voices influencing decisions, but the city appeared more functional.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He added that Mashaba\u2019s experience in business and governance strengthened his appeal.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe started a business from scratch, so running a city cannot be that difficult for him,\u201d Mashego said.<\/span><\/p>\n Mashego said Mashaba\u2019s nomination would significantly affect Zille\u2019s prospects.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot that ActionSA will necessarily win outright, but Helen Zille hopes to become mayor through a coalition government that might exclude ActionSA,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf the council has to choose between Helen Zille and Herman Mashaba, smaller parties are more likely to support Mashaba.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Mashego said ActionSA was unlikely to perform strongly in other metros.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEkurhuleni is not going to do well. Tshwane might not do well. But Johannesburg should be their crown jewel, where they want to demonstrate their ability to govern, or where Mashaba can finish what he started.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Another political analyst, Solly Rashilo, said the February announcement was largely a strategic branding exercise.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBy delaying until then, ActionSA ensures it gets the last word after the DA\u2019s Zille announcement has cooled off, allowing the party to launch its campaign with maximum momentum heading into the Easter period,\u201d Rashilo said.<\/span><\/p>\n He said ActionSA\u2019s recent \u201cLegacy Tour\u201d, which highlighted Mashaba\u2019s past achievements in Johannesburg, strongly suggested he would be the candidate.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis was classic pre-campaign positioning for a specific candidate rather than a general party advertisement,\u201d Rashilo said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOpening nominations allows Mashaba to \u2018respond to the call of the people\u2019 in February, giving his candidacy the appearance of a popular draft rather than an executive appointment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Rashilo said ActionSA supporters view Mashaba\u2019s previous term as one of relative stability, marked by decisive action against hijacked buildings and corruption.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHis return signals a \u2018return to order\u2019 for a city widely perceived to be in decline under ANC-EFF-PA coalitions,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA Mashaba versus Zille contest creates a heavyweight race that could drive voter turnout and position ActionSA not as a small party, but as a primary contender for the mayorship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za<\/span><\/p>\n Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n ActionSA has confirmed that it has finalised its internal nominations process for its Johannesburg mayoral candidate and is expecting to announce the nominee in February, but the party is not ruling out party leader Herman Mashaba as a contender. \u201cActionSA has concluded its internal nomination process, and plans are underway to announce our candidate in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":270051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[7086,622,782,19163,2490,9820,13165,10666,4826],"class_list":["post-270050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-politics","tag-actionsa","tag-cards","tag-comeback","tag-finalises","tag-joburg","tag-mashaba","tag-mayoral","tag-potentially","tag-race"],"yoast_head":"\nGet your news on the go. 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