Who are the Ward 87 and 73 councillor candidates for 2026?
Who is standing for Ward 87 and Ward 73 in the 2026 local elections? 🗳️ Get to know the candidates, hear what they say matters most and discover their plans for the communities they hope to represent.
With the 2026 local government elections approaching, Ward 87 and 73 residents can get to know the candidates vying to represent their community. Meet the candidates, learn more about their priorities and find out what they hope to achieve if elected as ward councillor.
All candidates were invited to answer the questions. The responses published below are included here. This article will be updated as further candidates submit their responses.
Ward 87 and 73 Malik Dasoo, RISE Mzansi councillor candidate Malik Dasoo
In one sentence, who are you?
Malik Dasoo, an environmental activist, community builder and researcher working on biodiversity, climate change and African food systems.
What are the biggest issues facing your ward currently?
Biggest issues in wards 87 and 73 are unreliable service delivery (water, waste, electricity), safety, land use planning and zoning, ageing and decaying infrastructure (particularly water and roads) and public disorder (illegal dumping, littering, antisocial behaviour). There are many others but these seem to be the ones that appear most frequently when I speak to people.
What practical solutions would you prioritise should you be named councillor of your ward?
Solutions:
1) Facilitation of residents and the city: monthly ward meetings where residents can engage me directly, along with relevant entities. In the ward councillor code of conduct, being an effective intermediary and representative of your constituents is the number one responsibility.
2) Support community builders and activists: we have so many people trying to do good work but getting stopped by the city’s approvals. I will convene and expedite these processes so that we allow people who care about their areas to do work where the city has not only been absent but actively stops work like fixing the Zoo Lake pool, filling in potholes, planting sidewalks, etc.
3) Information feedback: I will try to chair the portfolio committee of environment and infrastructure, and participate in the committees of finance, economic development, transport and rules and ethics. I will use the powers available to councillors to demand information from the executive and feed it back to my constituents. I will bring the interests of my constituents through motions to the executive, advocacy, oversight and active engagement in IDP processes.
What is one misconception about you or your party that you would clarify?
The misconception is that parties need to have a majority to have impact. Being a small party in opposition should mean more scrutiny, not less responsibility. Songezo Zibi, one of two of our parliamentarians, has shown what taking up an important position in government can do to ensure accountability through his chairing of Scopa. We just need a chance to show what good governance looks like.
Should your party’s candidate be named mayor, in your opinion, what issue/issues should they address first?
They should address issues of corruption, mismanagement of finances and poor governance. They need to rebuild the ability of the city to govern and not outsource responsibilities that should be in their control. This means the unbundling of entities like City Power, Johannesburg Water, etc. He will need to prioritise service delivery. People’s taxes must go towards providing necessary services. They need to ensure that issues like transport, zoning and by-laws allow people to access economic opportunities and jobs and not act as hindrances, particularly for the working class.
Other candidates are encouraged to email the editor, Ashtyn Mackenzie, at ashtynm@caxton.co.za.
