JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — As the countdown to the 2026 Local Government Elections enters its final stretch, the battle for municipal leadership has intensified with the unveiling of key mayoral candidates by major opposition parties. With fewer than 100 days remaining until voters head to the polls in November, both Build One South Africa (BOSA) and ActionSA have formally introduced their contenders for Tshwane, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga, marking a decisive early push to secure voter trust and challenge incumbent administrations.
In the capital city, Build One South Africa (BOSA) has tapped Martha Moshiga to lead its Tshwane mayoral campaign. Accepting the mandate, Moshiga framed her candidacy around the urgent need for municipal stability. She expressed deep gratitude and a profound sense of duty, asserting her belief in the city’s untapped potential. “Tshwane is the capital city of our country,” she noted during her address, emphasizing that it must become a source of national pride for all South Africans through stabilized and accountable governance.
Simultaneously, ActionSA has mobilized its leadership in Limpopo, naming provincial chairperson Victor Mothemela as the party’s mayoral hopeful for Polokwane. ActionSA Provincial Secretary Shobane Mafona emphasized that this was a top-down strategic calculation rather than a purely provincial decision. “This decision was not taken by the provincial executive committee on its own,” Mafona stated, explaining that the national leadership intervened to ensure Polokwane gets “a very strong man or woman who will be able to take this municipality forward.”
ActionSA’s electoral strategy also features a broad offensive in Mpumalanga, where the party has rolled out mayoral candidates across eight distinct municipalities. The newly announced slate covers Bushbuckridge, the City of Mbombela, Emalahleni, eMakhazeni, Dr JS Moroka, Steve Tshwete, Victor Khanye, and Thembisile Hani.
ActionSA National Chairperson Michael Beaumont outlined the party’s targeted approach, noting that they have carefully evaluated municipalities nationwide to identify where they will contest the 2026 local government elections. While acknowledging the candidate list might expand slightly before next Friday’s official nomination deadline, Beaumont stressed that the party is deliberately narrowing its focus to areas primed for “the next set of political breakthroughs.”
As the nomination deadline looms, the political landscape is shifting into high gear. For both BOSA and ActionSA, the immediate campaign priority is clear: demonstrating to the electorate that their newly endorsed candidates possess the vision, strength, and capability to reverse service delivery declines and deliver tangible improvements at the local government level.
