The ANC is yet to officially announce its mayoral candidates across the country's municipalities, despite having already completed its selection process.
Elections 2026
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula at the Orange Grove Primary in Johannesburg on 4 November 2026. Picture: X / @MbalulaFikile
African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the party will announce its final mayoral candidates once the results of the 2026 local government elections have been declared and analysed by the party.
Mbalula also made it clear that any potential coalition negotiations will be handled exclusively by the party’s national leadership, with regional structures barred from engaging other political parties on the matter.
He made the remarks on Wednesday, 4 November, after casting his vote at Orange Grove Primary School in Johannesburg.
LIVE interactive map, latest news, multimedia and more!
View MapANC’s shortlisted mayoral candidates
The ANC is yet to officially announce its mayoral candidates across the country’s municipalities, despite having already completed its selection process.
The party’s decision to delay the announcement has reportedly been influenced by internal divisions within the organisation.
However, the ANC has offered some indication of its preferred candidates by making public a shortlist of 42 individuals being considered for the positions.
The ANC has identified three contenders for the mayoral position in Johannesburg: incumbent mayor Dada Morero, deputy mayor Loyiso Masuku and veteran party member Frank Chikane.
In Tshwane, the shortlist includes ANC councillor and MMC for Human Settlements Aaron Maluleka, former regional chairperson Kgoši Maepa, former deputy minister Chana Pilane-Majake and MMC for Roads and Transport Tlangi Mogale, alongside two other contenders.
The party has also named four individuals as potential mayoral candidates in Ekurhuleni.
They include regional secretary Jongizizwe Dlabathi and current mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza.
Mbalula says final candidates will be announced after election results
Speaking on Wednesday, Mbalula confirmed that the ANC had concluded its process of selecting its preferred mayoral candidates.
However, he stated their names would only be made public once the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) had announced this year’s municipal election results.
“We will be ready to announce in the next two weeks after we get the results,” Mbalula remarked.
The ANC secretary-general maintained that the party’s campaign had not been centred on individual mayoral candidates, but rather on its performance and the challenges confronting communities.
“People wanted us to run a campaign of mayors, like in Johannesburg. [They] forced us to run a mayoral candidate campaign.
“We didn’t have a mayoral candidate campaign because the ANC said we will wait for after the elections, but we did tell society who are our preferred people that will be looking at as mayoral candidates so we are done with that.
“Once in the next two weeks, we get the results and therefore we know where we stand in each municipality.”
He added that the ANC was prepared to take up mayoral positions in municipalities where the election outcome made this possible.
“If it is required to have an ANC mayor, you will have an ANC mayor and that we are ready for as a party.”
ANC top seven to lead coalition negotiations
On the possibility of coalition arrangements following the elections, Mbalula indicated that the ANC was not currently engaged in negotiations with any political party.
He stressed that the responsibility for handling such discussions rested with the party’s national leadership, commonly referred to as the top seven, rather than its regional structures.
“There’s no negotiations with anybody. That task is with the top seven. The centre holds.”
Mbalula further warned ANC regional leaders against initiating discussions with other political organisations about potential coalition arrangements.
“Our comrades, we have said to them, ‘stop looking around and doing this and that’. The mayors will be finalised by the top seven, and we are done with that.
“I’m telling you now that we are done with that. We are focused on the elections, our people to come out in their numbers to vote.”
