Zwakele Mncwango tipped to lead ActionSA in eThekwini mayoral race

ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal leader Zwakele Mncwango is tipped to be the party’s mayoral candidate in eThekwini for the upcoming local government elections, according to senior party sources.

While Mncwango remains tight-lipped, saying no official announcement has been made, insiders confirmed to IOL that he is the frontrunner.

“He is the face of the party in eThekwini and is well supported, so this makes him the ideal choice,” said a senior party member who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mncwango, 48, currently leads ActionSA’s caucus in the eThekwini Municipality and is a prominent critic of service delivery failures, particularly sewage pollution. He is often at the forefront of heated council debates on infrastructure and governance.

Born in Nongoma, northern KwaZulu-Natal, Mncwango is a qualified electrical engineer and holds a Master’s in Business Administration. He entered politics in 2002, rising through the ranks of the Democratic Alliance (DA), where he previously led the party in eThekwini and was its KZN premier candidate. He later left the DA to join ActionSA.

While a date for the local government elections has not been confirmed, they are widely expected to take place between November 2026 and February 2027. Political parties have begun mobilising, with campaigning anticipated to be intense.

The DA is the only party to have formally announced a mayoral candidate so far. Haniff Hoosen has already hit the campaign trail, focusing on grassroots issues affecting residents. While the DA forms part of the Provincial Government of Unity (PGU), it is not included in the governing coalition within the eThekwini council.

The metro remains a hung municipality following the 2021 local elections, with no party securing an outright majority. The African National Congress (ANC) governs through a coalition with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), National Freedom Party (NFP) and smaller parties.

Opposition parties outside the coalition include the DA, ActionSA, and other minor players. The newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, is expected to mount a strong showing despite ongoing leadership disputes. The party made significant electoral gains in the last general election but was left out of the current coalition arrangement in eThekwini.

IOL Politics