The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party named former City of Tshwane director Annie Matime as its mayoral candidate for Tshwane on 12 September 2026, as the party consolidates its metro leadership ahead of the 4 November local government elections. Matime will face Democratic Alliance (DA) candidate Cilliers Brink and the incumbent ActionSA mayor Nasiphi Moya for control of the capital.<\/p>\n
According to an MK Party statement, Matime is \u201can accomplished public-sector professional, community leader and business administrator with over two decades of experience in municipal governance and economic development.\u201d She holds an MBA as well as honours qualifications in geography and theology, and has extensive leadership experience across civic, community, church and development organisations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis combination of professional expertise, leadership and community commitment positions her as a capable and experienced choice to lead Tshwane under the banner of the MK Party,\u201d the statement added. The nomination fills one of two remaining metro slots that were left vacant when the party unveiled other mayoral candidates\u2014Bongani Baloyi for Johannesburg, Thulani Shongwe for Ekurhuleni, and the now-replaced Zandile Hlophe-Mkhwanazi for eThekwini\u2014in Durban roughly two weeks earlier.<\/p>\n
The Tshwane unveiling came just three days after party leader Jacob Zuma dissolved the MK Party\u2019s Presidential Task Team for the second time in six weeks and replaced eThekwini mayoral candidate Hlophe-Mkhwanazi with Apostle Mxolisi Phakathi, the party\u2019s national chairperson. Zuma simultaneously removed Hlophe-Mkhwanazi and senior official Sibonelo Maphumulo from the National Party Liaison Committee, which handles electoral matters with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), and ordered an investigation into allegations that properly vetted councillor candidates were removed from IEC submission lists and replaced.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no place for manipulation, political gatekeeping or the abuse of organisational processes,\u201d Zuma said through the party statement. The probe, national spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu confirmed, \u201cwill seek to establish the full facts and ensure that any persons found responsible for wrongdoing are held accountable.\u201d The candidate swap came after the IEC\u2019s candidate nomination deadline of 28 August, meaning the originally submitted names cannot be altered\u2014potentially leaving Hlophe-Mkhwanazi\u2019s name on the ballot despite the leadership change. Cape Town remains the only metro where the MK Party has yet to name a mayoral candidate, with final IEC candidate lists expected to be published on 16 September.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MK Party has named former Tshwane director Annie Matime as its mayoral candidate, days after Jacob Zuma replaced the eThekwini pick amid a candidate list probe.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[990,134,34,997,788,97,232],"class_list":["post-1115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-annie-matime","tag-ethekwini","tag-jacob-zuma","tag-local-elections-2026","tag-mayoral-candidates","tag-mk-party","tag-tshwane"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n