The Democratic Alliance will name uMngeni local municipality mayor Christopher Pappas as its premier candidate for KwaZulu-Natal. (Gallo Images/Rapport/Deaan Vivier)
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will name uMngeni local municipality mayor Christopher Pappas as its premier candidate for KwaZulu-Natal, one of four key provinces in which the party hopes to unseat the ANC in the coming weeks.
Pappas, 32, is the only internal candidate interviewed to be the face of the DA’s campaign in KwaZulu-Natal in next year’s national and provincial elections, in which it hopes to remove the ANC from power through its working relationship with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
Several sources in the DA, which has already named several of its premier candidates, said that Pappas was the only nominee proposed and that he had the backing of both provincial chairperson, Francois Rodgers, and its provincial leader, Dean Macpherson.
“He is the only candidate,” one of the sources said. “Nobody else appeared before the selection panel.”
The source said Rodgers was understood to be wanting to retire after next year’s elections, with Macpherson, who is an MP in the National Assembly, rumoured to be keen to take over the provincial leader’s role from him.
“We believe that Francois wants to retire after the upcoming elections and it is rumoured that Dean wants to run for leader of the province,” the source said.
A second DA source told the Mail & Guardian that the party hoped to capitalise on Pappas’ work ethic as uMngeni mayor since he took office in 2021, along with his public profile and popularity, in its campaign for the province.
“Chris is an excellent candidate. He is young, has a rapport with the public and has proved his capabilities and his ability since he took office,” the DA source said. “The fact that he is fluent in isiZulu is also a plus. So is the fact that he runs the only municipality in the province that we control outright.”
In 2019, the ANC’s majority in KwaZulu-Natal fell to 55.47%, with the IFP taking 14.58% of the vote and the DA 14.24%, but a further decline in the 2021 local government elections saw the governing party take only 41% of the vote in the province.
A working relationship between the IFP and the DA has taken a number of wards off the ANC at local government level since, increasing the possibility that the two parties, which are signatories to the Multi-party Charter for South Africa, can take the province off the ANC next May.
Pappas’ spokesperson declined to comment, saying the DA selection processes were not complete.
“The party has not yet announced a premier candidate,” the spokesperson said.
Thus far, DA leader John Steenhuisen has named Alan Winde, who is seeking a second term, as the premier candidate for the Western Cape; Isak Fritz for the Northern Cape and Roy Jankielsohn for the Free State.
Two candidates — provincial leader Solly Msimanga and MPL Khume Ramulifho — are understood to be contesting to become the DA premier candidate in Gauteng, another of the provinces where it believes it can unseat the ANC next May.
DA spokesperson Solly Malatsi said that the KwaZulu-Natal premier candidate would be announced in the next few weeks but declined to confirm whether it would be Pappas.