Bongani Baloyi named MK Party’s Joburg candidate as other metro contenders unveiled

The MK Party has named Bongani Baloyi as its Johannesburg mayoral candidate, alongside five others unveiled to contest key metros in the 2026 local government elections.

The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has unveiled six mayoral candidates for metropolitan municipalities as it steps up preparations for the 2026 local government elections, with Secretary-General Sibonelo Nomvalo saying they would be the “face” of the party’s campaign.

The candidates were announced on Friday following a two-day meeting of the party’s national officials in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.

Bongani Baloyi will contest the City of Johannesburg, while Thulani Shongwe has been selected for Ekurhuleni.

In eThekwini, the party will be represented by Zandile Hlophe-Mkhwanazi, with Mapaseka Mothibi contesting in Mangaung. Mzwandile Vaaiboom will represent the party in Buffalo City, while Mvuleni Mapu will contest Nelson Mandela Bay.

“We’ve got new flowers to present to the nation, and those flowers are going to be the face of the MK party during this course of local government elections,” Nomvalo said.

He said the endorsement of the candidates marked an important step towards consolidating the party’s electoral campaign and providing voters with clear leadership choices ahead of the elections.

The party said it had made significant progress in its preparations for the elections, including finalising its People’s Mandate, strengthening election operations, managing councillor-candidate disputes and mobilising volunteers and supporters.

Nomvalo said the draft 2026 Local Government People’s Manifesto had been presented to the national officials for input, with the Secretary-General’s Office tasked with consolidating the submissions before the document is considered by the relevant committee.

He also commended Dr Lucky Montana, Dr Mthanti Mthanti for their collective and their work in developing and preparing the People’s Mandate.

The document is due to be formally released on September 4, said Nomvalo.

The MK Party said it had registered more than 300,000 new members since June 16, which it said demonstrated growing confidence and support for the organisation.

As part of its election preparations, the party said it would introduce the Gwaza Election Operations Centre, which it described as a state-of-the-art facility that would provide real-time election results monitoring and strengthen coordination and communication during the electoral process.

Nomvalo said the centre would also enable the party to monitor and respond to potential irregularities, including alleged vote disruptions and other challenges that could arise during the elections.