Councillor Candidates ready for 2026 LGE

WITH the 2026 Local Government Elections just around the corner, councillors will be elected for all district, metropolitan and local municipalities across the country’s nine provinces.

This week, the Berea Mail took to the streets of the various wards that it covers, to meet and greet the Councillor Candidates assigned by the different political parties to compete for the hot seat come November 04 2026.

Fran Kristopher is the Councillor Candidate for the DA in Ward 33, her background in politics spans more than 18 years of community activism and service, accountability and a commitment to improving the lives of residents.

She said that if elected, the three key issues to address would be:

• Service Delivery and Infrastructure- Addressing water and electricity disruptions, ageing infrastructure, illegal dumping and waste management, roads and infrastructure, potholes, stormwater and sewer problems.

• Safety and Law Enforcement-Demanding effective enforcement, tackling crime and public disturbances, restoring order in problem areas such as Davenport and Weston precincts, and focus on curbing drinking and driving, noise and disturbance, and public drinking.

• Accountability and Urban Management- Holding the municipality accountable for its spending and performance, while addressing illegal land use, problem properties and the deterioration of the neighbourhoods.

Kristopher is currently working on long-standing service-delivery matters across Ward 33, including water and electricity challenges, infrastructure failures, growing concerns around truck congestion in relation to logistic depots and port proximity. She is also engaging with residents, business, law enforcement agencies and municipal departments to address the ongoing challenges in the Davenport and Weston precincts, while working to ensure that community concerns regarding development and problem properties receive deserved attention.

Councillor Candidate for Patriotic Alliance in Ward 31, Marese Lawler, has been a business owner since 2013, employing residents of Sydenham. She has also been involved in community activism, supporting initiatives across Sydenham for approximately eight years.

Her community work includes free skills-development programmes and First Aid training.

Lawler is also the Entertainment Director for Ubuntu Music in the Park, Sydenham.

She described herself as a humanitarian first, with no previous political background.

Lawler aligns with the Patriotic Alliance (PA), believing the party shares her ideals and can help her pursue meaningful community development.

Her three key areas of concern, if she is elected as a councillor are the following:

• Community upliftment- Expanding skills development and opportunities for young people.

• Support for vulnerable residents- Promoting initiatives that assist elderly people, struggling families and those in need.

• Local development and accountability- working with relevant stakeholders to access service delivery concerns and improve residents’ quality of life.

Thandeka Cynthia Magwaza is the Councillor Candidate for the National People’s Ambassadors (NPA) party. Her Councillor ambitions span across Wards 16, 24, 26, 27, 28, 30 and 32.

Magwaza, a nurse by profession, has a political journey dating back to 2011 where she was the National Organiser for the IFP Women’s Movement in 2011 before joining the National Freedom Party in that same year. She joined the NPA in 2026 and is now the Councillor Candidate for the 2026 LGE.

In the event of her success, her three major areas of interest are:

• Job Creation and Youth

• Fighting crime, drugs, and hijacked buildings- Will demand full audits, SAPS and Metro Police raids, closing drug dens and illegal shebeens, fixing street lights and CCTV, support CPFS and neighbourhood watch.

• Service delivery- 24hr Whatsapp fault line for water cuts, lights and potholes, weekly public reports and monthly imbizos in Central, Morningside, South Beach, and open budget and tender processes.

Also read: Elections date announced pending proclamation

For Aslam Shaheed, Councilor Candidate for the Truly Alliance party in Ward 31, his biggest goal, once in office, is to expose other cuncillors who do not keep their promises to their voters after they have been elected.

He said that while he did not wish to make promises to his potential voters, his key areas of concern were:

• Addressing the influx of homeless drug users (commonly known as Pharas) who beg on the roads and harass residents.

• Waste that is not being collected.

Also read: Date set for local government elections

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