MK Party’s Bongani Baloyi joins crowded Joburg mayoral race

Bongani Baloyi

Johannesburg – The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has officially named former Midvaal mayor Bongani Baloyi as its mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg ahead of the 4 November 2026 local government elections.

The announcement was made by MK Party secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo during a media briefing in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday.

Baloyi was unveiled alongside five other candidates: Thulani Shongwe for Ekurhuleni, Zandile Hlophe-Mkhwanazi for eThekwini, Mapaseka Mothibi for Mangaung, Mzwandile Vaaiboom for Buffalo City and Mvuleni Map for Nelson Mandela Bay.

Nomvalo said the candidates would become the public face of the party’s campaign, describing their endorsement as an important step towards consolidating the MK Party’s electoral campaign.

“The endorsement of these candidates marks an important step towards consolidating the party’s electoral campaign and providing voters with clear leadership choices ahead of the 2026 local government elections,” Nomvalo said.

The announcement comes after months of speculation over Baloyi’s political future in Johannesburg. In May, TimesLIVE reported that a group within the MK Party was lobbying for Baloyi to contest Johannesburg, citing his previous experience as Midvaal mayor.

Baloyi became South Africa’s youngest mayor in 2013 at the age of 26 when he was elected under the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Midvaal. During his tenure, the municipality recorded two clean audits and was regarded as one of the country’s better-performing municipalities.

His political career has since taken several turns. He left the DA, briefly joined ActionSA, founded the Xiluva party and later joined the MK Party in September 2024. The Mail & Guardian reported at the time that Baloyi said Xiluva would be deregistered and encouraged its supporters to join the MK Party.

“We have found a home. uMkhonto resonates with us,” Baloyi said after joining the party.

His appointment also follows an MK Party leadership reshuffle in March, when Baloyi was removed as the party’s head of elections and replaced by Tholakele Dlamini.

Daily Dispatch reported that Dlamini was appointed because of his knowledge of the Electoral Commission of South Africa and would lead the party’s electoral strategy.

The MK Party is now stepping up its campaign ahead of the November polls. Nomvalo said the party’s 2026 People’s Mandate would be formally released on 4 September, while the party has also established the Gwaza Election Operations Centre in Johannesburg to monitor results and respond to potential electoral irregularities.

The party has also launched its “Asibuyele Ebantwini” campaign, meaning “let us return to the people”.

“From this moment, we return to the people. We will enter every city, every town and every village,” Nomvalo said.

“We will go to every community and every household with the message and People’s Mandate of the MK party.”

The announcement places Baloyi in a potentially competitive Johannesburg mayoral race as parties seek to take control of South Africa’s largest metropolitan municipality. The DA has put forward Helen Zille, while ActionSA has nominated former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba.

The Electoral Commission has confirmed that South Africa’s local government elections will take place on 4 November 2026, setting the stage for an increasingly intense contest for Johannesburg. The election date was formally proclaimed by Cooperative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa.

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