Not unlike reading the popular Where’s Wally? books, I found myself scratching my head while perusing the Democratic Alliance’s recently released candidate list for KwaDukuza.

First, I couldn’t find one of the Ballito ward councillors.

Then, after a great deal of searching, I found him, in an entirely different ward and about as far down as you can go, at number 11 on the PR list.

I live in Ballito’s Ward 30 and have done so for the past 13 years as a ratepaying, voting adult. Except for about a 10-year gap as a student and young working adult, I have spent two thirds of my life in Ballito – and in the same ward, nogal!

As far back as I can remember, Ballito has been a strongly DA neighbourhood. The town is split between wards 6 and 30. In the 2021 local government elections, Ward 30 got its first coloured councillor in Jack Abrahams, and Ward 6 followed on September 11, 2024, with our first black councillor when Zwane won the by-election with 98.70%.

As far as I can tell, Zwane has been an excellent councillor. He is pleasant to deal with, gets things done and keeps residents informed. I would easily rate him as one of the most efficient councillors the ward has had. And barring his predecessor, Tammy Colley, who was too good at her job and got herself promoted to the KZN Legislature, we have had some real shockers over the years.

So why has Zwane been shunted off to Shakaskraal?

I say shunted because a DA candidate has a very small chance of winning Ward 28.

Doeshiee ‘Gaddafi’ Govender has held the reins there tightly for a very long time, appearing at times more like a chief than a councillor, while his ‘Black Ants’ security patrollers seem to run a tight ship. His move from the African National Congress (ANC) to the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) last April did little to change that.

When news first began circulating that Zwane was being pushed to the kerb, a decidedly AI-looking poster started doing the rounds. It accused the DA of racial discrimination and claimed the party had thrown Zwane ‘into the bush’ with little hope of winning. Nobody took responsibility for the poster, but the ANC later released a statement expressing much the same sentiment.

It’s not often I can say that I agree with the ANC, but in this case, its argument looks uncomfortably close to the mark.

The rise of MKP across KZN has made everyone nervous about what the November 4 local government elections might deliver. In the 2024 national election, MKP secured 14.58% of the national vote, becoming the country’s third-largest party virtually overnight. More significantly for us, it took 45.35% of the KZN provincial vote and 37 of the legislature’s 80 seats.

MKP was kept out of the provincial government when the IFP, ANC, DA and NFP combined to form a government with the narrowest possible majority: 41 seats. And that is exactly what this candidate choice looks like to me: nerves.

It looks like a party staring at an unpredictable electoral map and reaching for what it believes is the safer bet.

No offence to Walter Schotter, who may prove to be an excellent candidate. But when you already have a councillor who appears to be doing the job well, moving him from a safe seat to one where his chances are considerably slimmer inevitably raises questions.

I reached out to our local DA iLembe political head and KZN deputy chairperson Sakhile Mngadi, who strongly rejected any suggestion that race played a role.

Mngadi said candidates went through an 18-month competitive selection process, involving screening, interviews, examinations, performance reviews and several levels of party approval. He described attempts to “racialise the processes of the DA” as “nonsense conclusions.”

He also said Zwane was happy with his placement and wanted to contest Ward 28.

“Ayabonga is a well respected and valued member and public representative of the DA and we know that he will pull off a historic victory for the DA and win that ward off of the MKP,” said Mngadi.

Fair enough. Perhaps Zwane hasn’t been shunted into the wilderness after all. Maybe the DA genuinely believes one of its stronger councillors is the man who can do what, until now, has looked exceedingly difficult: prise Ward 28 away from Gaddafi and MKP.

If he does, I’ll happily eat my words. But from where I’m sitting, I’m still left wondering why a councillor who has served Ballito well is the one being asked to take that gamble.