JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — As the 2026 Local Government Elections approach in less than a month, South Africa’s political landscape is being energized by a wave of unlikely candidates. Stepping away from traditional political backgrounds, fresh faces from the cultural, entertainment, and business sectors are entering the mayoral race, aiming to convince voters that they hold the key to better service delivery.
Over 540 political parties are set to contest the upcoming municipal elections. Among them are non-traditional players who are bringing unique expertise to the forefront of local governance.
Songwriter, poet, and podcaster Ntsiki Mazwai is trading her musical career for the Johannesburg mayoral chain. Representing the Land Party, Mazwai—who refers to herself as the “mayor of Amatuk”—has pledged to revitalize the city’s fortunes. Despite facing seasoned politicians, she argues that her background offers a necessary fresh perspective on city governance.
“The big misconception around administration and governance is that people think that the mayor needs to know how water systems work or be an auditor and accountant,” Mazwai explained. “But no, that’s not the role of the mayor. The role of the mayor is to provide the political direction and to hold people accountable. So that is something you guys know you can trust me with… I’m going to make us focus on the people on the ground.”
In the same city, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and South African Infrastructure Fund CEO Rali Mampeule is bringing his expertise in housing and infrastructure development to the political fray. Running for the MOVE SA Party, which he founded, Mampeule advocates for leveraging technology to improve community living standards.
He highlighted his “40-40-40 principle,” noting that citizens spend 40% of their time commuting—often waking at 4:00 a.m. and returning at 8:00 p.m.—and 40% of their income on transportation.
“We need to show government and work with the expertise of the government sector to bring construction closer to where people are working,” Mampeule stated. “Let us build the schools. Let us build the factories. Let us build the shopping center before we even build the residential part so that our people can have a job. You saw that’s what happened in Waterfall. They started with the school, the mall, the hospital, then the people came in.”
Meanwhile, in Tshwane, the Security Personnel Party of South Africa (SPPSA) is tackling the country’s high crime and violence rates head-on. Mayoral candidate Sello Mashula wants to place private security companies at the forefront of combating water mafias, extortion rings, and human trafficking. Promoting co-sourcing and a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, Mashula outlined a comprehensive financial and operational plan.
“Give community safety 1 billion rand annually to make sure that every ward in the city of Tshwane is being protected by 100 security officers per ward and 100 companies per ward,” Mashula proposed. He noted that this model, where the city pays personnel and companies directly, would create sustainable jobs over a 60-month period.
As the country inches closer to election day, these new players face the crucial task of proving to the electorate that their unconventional approaches are exactly what is needed to deliver quality, accessible municipal services over their traditional counterparts.
