By Thapelo Molefe
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) is targeting Johannesburg and eThekwini as key battlegrounds in the 2026 local government elections, with party president Velenkosini Hlabisa describing the two metros as critical engines of the South African economy.
The IFP will contest all 108 wards in the City of Johannesburg (COJ) and every ward in eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, as the party seeks to expand its influence beyond its traditional base in KwaZulu-Natal.
Hlabisa said the party had deliberately identified Johannesburg, eThekwini and the City of uMhlathuze as strategic municipalities because of their economic importance.
“In terms of why COJ, COJ is the centre of the Gauteng province. That is why we were deliberate that we did not want to spread all over, but to be mainly focused to the heart of the Gauteng province, which is the city of Johannesburg, the city of gold,” Hlabisa said.
ALSO READ: Creecy outlines public transport reforms to strengthen taxi industry
“We want that city of gold to glitter once again as it has lost its shine.”
The IFP has already named City of Johannesburg MMC for Human Settlements Mlungisi Mabaso as its mayoral candidate for the metro.
In eThekwini, the party has adopted what Hlabisa called a “two-horns” approach, naming former chairperson of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts and current Deputy Minister of Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa as its mayoral candidate.
Businessman and Durban Central regional chairperson Sizwe Skhakhane, known as Mabawa, has been named as the party’s deputy mayoral candidate.
Hlabisa said eThekwini was strategically important because of its role in the movement of goods across the country.
“And why eThekwini? eThekwini is a coordinating city because most of commodities arrive in eThekwini and get distributed throughout the country,” he said.
“So we are deliberate that we want to ensure that the engines of our economy, the city of Johannesburg and eThekwini, are engines of our economy.”
Hlengwa, accepting his nomination, said eThekwini was more than a municipality and played a central role in the KwaZulu-Natal economy.
“When we speak about eThekwini, we are speaking much more than just a municipality. We are speaking about the heart of our economy. We are speaking about the heart of KZN’s economy,” he said.
He said the metro should be judged by the everyday experiences of its residents, including whether they had reliable water, employment opportunities, clean streets, maintained roads and safe communities.
ALSO READ: ConCourt rejects Zuma, Mbeki bid to remove Khampepe from TRC cases inquiry
“The true measure of the city is not found in its skyline; it is found in the experience of the people,” Hlengwa said.
The IFP has also named Councillor Xolani Ngwezi as its mayoral candidate for the City of uMhlathuze.
Hlabisa described uMhlathuze as an emerging city with harbours and an economy that has significance beyond KwaZulu-Natal.
Ngwezi said the IFP-led administration had helped improve the municipality’s stability and governance, pointing to four consecutive clean audit outcomes from the Auditor-General.
He said the municipality would continue focusing on economic growth, skills development and infrastructure, particularly in newly established settlements.
“We will also continue to roll out more infrastructure as our communities keep on expanding in the City of uMhlathuze,” Ngwezi said.
“Those are the areas that are still far behind, especially in infrastructure. We need water, roads, and electricity.”
Hlabisa said the three mayoral candidates unveiled by the party were all under the age of 45, which he described as a deliberate effort to give younger South Africans opportunities to lead.
“Young people must not simply be spoken about as the future; they must be given opportunities to lead in the present,” he said.
The mayoral announcements form part of the IFP’s preparations for the elections, with the party having submitted 3,188 candidates to the Independent Electoral Commission.
The candidates comprise 1,922 ward candidates and 1,266 proportional representation candidates across the nine provinces.
ALSO READ: Alleged Tembisa Hospital syndicate boss Stefan Govindraju granted R200,000 bail
This is an increase from the 2,587 candidates the IFP fielded across 105 municipalities in the 2021 local government elections.
Hlabisa said the increase demonstrated the party’s growth and national reach.
“The scale of our participation is a clear indication of the strength, growth and national reach of the IFP,” he said.
“Our expansion beyond KwaZulu-Natal is particularly significant and it demonstrates that the IFP continues to grow across the country. It also reinforces a point we have consistently made, the IFP is not a regional party.”
He also highlighted the diversity of the party’s candidates, including candidates from white and Indian communities.
“We reject the outdated characterisation of the IFP as a party that belongs to one ethnic group,” Hlabisa said.
The party will launch its local government election manifesto on 20 September at Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu.
Hlabisa said the manifesto would focus on practical solutions to problems affecting communities rather than what he described as empty election promises.
“Our manifesto will not be a collection of a wish list, a collection of empty promises, nor a cut-and-paste,” he said.
“We will present an original, clear and credible alternative plan addressing the real daily needs of our communities.”
The IFP has also placed ethical leadership, accountable government, effective service delivery and functioning municipalities at the centre of its campaign.
The announcements come after three IFP members were allegedly assaulted while putting up party posters in the Ezingolweni KwaNyuswa area in Ward 34 over the weekend.
Hlabisa condemned the attack and called on political parties and communities to ensure that campaigning remains peaceful.
“Elections must be a contest of ideas, policies and leadership, not a contest of intimidation and violence,” he said.
A criminal case has been opened over the incident, but Hlabisa said the party’s priority was to ensure political tolerance and allow voters to choose freely.
The IFP is also seeking outright victories in the municipalities it contests, while remaining open to coalition arrangements where it does not secure a majority.
“We are approaching these elections as the IFP, not paired with anyone. We want to get outright win in the municipalities that we are contesting,” Hlabisa said.
He rejected suggestions that the party was preparing for defeat.
“We are going all out to win. We are going to work our butts off to win. So let’s not speak about hypotheticals of losing. It’s not in our vocabulary,” he said.
INSIDE METROS
