Unless there is a dramatic change in political trends, the next Nelson Mandela Bay mayor is likely to emerge from a coalition led either by the ANC or its main rival, the DA. Pollsters suggest that both parties are in decline and are unlikely to grow when voters go to the polls later in the year to elect new local government councils. But what is not in dispute is that they will remain the largest parties in the region.
Therefore, none of the other parties will be able to form the next government in the metro without including either the ANC or DA in coalition talks. It is within this context that we need to listen closely to the debates happening in the two main parties about what needs to be done to improve the performance of local government. The DA’s position is clear — it has already announced former Bay mayor Retief Odendaal, now serving as an MPL in Bhisho, as its mayoral candidate.
Historically, the ANC has resisted announcing the name of its candidates long before local government elections are held. But this year, amid widespread unhappiness with the calibre of leaders the party selects for municipal leadership, it seems to be changing tack. Gone, it would seem, is the practice of whoever has been elected the ANC’s regional leader being a shoe-in for mayoral candidate, whether they are suitable or not.
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President Cyril Ramaphosa told the ANC lekgotla at the weekend that the party’s national officials would now decide who the mayoral candidates for the various metros would be. His announcement came amid talks in party structures that, to stand a chance of winning, the ANC would have to field individuals with strong leadership credentials, especially at a national level. For Gqeberha and the rest of this region, this could mean the ANC would consider former local activists, some who have gone on to make names for themselves as leaders in national government departments and conglomerates, as potential candidates.
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