The African National Congress has retained all serving metro mayors on its local election candidate lists — despite earlier speculation that there could be wholesale changes.
Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo, Cape Town mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo, Ekurhuleni mayor Duma Nkosi and Durban mayor Obed Mlaba top their respective local lists, while Tshwane mayor Smangaliso Mkhatshwa is listed but not as the local party’s number one candidate. Nelson Mandela metro (Port Elizabeth) mayor Nceba Faku is listed, although the Mail & Guardian could not establish his position.
The provisional list was drawn up at the ANC’s national list conference on Wednesday last week. However, there is no guarantee that listed mayoral candidates will be forwarded to the Independent Electoral Commission — ANC president Thabo Mbeki and the party’s deployment committee have the final say.
The provisional list has also been sent back to branches for objections and appeals. The final list will be compiled by December 31 and sent to the Independent Electoral Commission on January 12.
The ANC is confident it will win all major cities except for Cape Town, which it privately concedes could be taken by the Democratic Alliance.
It plans to throw resources and senior leaders at the Cape Town contest. The city’s Athlone stadium has been chosen for the formal launch of its local government election campaign on January 8.
At this, Mbeki will present a statement of the ANC’s national executive committee, outlining the priorities and tasks for 2006. He will also unveil the ANC’s manifesto for the local government elections, due to take place on March 1.
The ANC lists are likely to be rejigged to comply with the party’s newly adopted 50-50 gender policy for candidates.
Currently, only one of the six metro mayors, Cape Town’s Mfeketo, is a woman and the M&G has learnt that women mayoral candidates could be adopted for either Ekurhuleni or Tshwane.
Speculation in ANC corridors was that Deputy Safety and Security Minister Susan Shabangu might be deployed to Ekurhuleni. She is not currently on the metro’s list, but the ANC has not been shy to make adjustments in the past.
Johannesburg’s Masondo, seen as a steadying influence, is expected to retain his position.
Tshwane’s Mkhatshwa could be the most high-profile ANC mayor to be axed. Sources said he had failed to play a unifying role in Tshwane, where the ANC has been torn apart by divisions.
The all-woman race for the position of Cape Town mayor, between Mfeketo and DA MP Helen Zille and possibly Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille, promises to be a close-run affair. The DA won the city in the 2000 municipal elections but lost control after the ANC and New National Party joined forces.
The deployment of Zille, a senior DA leader, is an indication of the party’s determination to win the city. The ANC is in a vulnerable position following spats between branch leaders in Khayelitsha and tensions between the local party and the SACP and the Congress of South African Trade Unions.