69 parties and 12 independents to contest eThekwini in 2026 local elections - IOL

CLOSE to 70 political parties and independent candidates are set to contest the eThekwini Metro in the country's local government elections on 4 November.

The Independent Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) has confirmed that 69 parties will contest the metro, along with 14 independent candidates. Among the parties contesting are the 1860 NIC Congress, A Shall X Party, Next Generation Government and the Organic Humanity Movement.

Other new parties include the Umkhumbi Wesizwe Organisation, Service Delivery Party, Truly Alliances, KZN Independence, the Justice and Employment Party, God's Justice and Development Party, and the eThekwini Ratepayers Political Movement (ERPM).

Political analysts yesterday warned that the crowded field could split the vote and make it more difficult for parties to secure a decisive majority in the council.

Rose Cortes, deputy chairperson of the ERPM, said the organisation had decided to enter politics after attempts to represent ratepayers outside the political system had failed.

"The party was formed by ratepayers to represent their interests," she said.

Cortes said the party was established after several disputes with the municipality. In one case, a ratepayer withheld payment following a service-delivery dispute with the municipality. The matter went to court, where the municipality ultimately prevailed.

"We are stepping into the political arena simply because our fight from the outside, as a civic structure, has been stonewalled by the current political and administrative leadership in eThekwini.

"Across the board, political parties have ignored our calls for budget inclusion to address the flawed drafting process and insert austerity measures before splurging on vanity projects. Our only mission in this movement is to prioritise service delivery to our communities — all communities, formal and informal.

"We are fed up with mainstream party politics playing with our money. We are sick to death of the mayoral tick-box exercise and public-participation roadshow circus, when tariff increases are nothing but a foregone conclusion. The affordability crisis is real. Double-digit tariff increases are collapsing our dwindling ratepayer base. This trajectory is completely unsustainable."

She said a vote for the ERPM was a vote for people before politics.

"It's a vote for equitable service delivery. It's a vote for a functional system of robust debate around how to improve the lives of the people who live here," she said.

ACDP eThekwini mayoral candidate MP Wayne Thring said the city had significant economic potential but needed stronger leadership.

"What eThekwini needs is leadership that puts residents first, manages money properly and takes responsibility for getting things done," he said.

The municipality's 2026/27 budget is about R75 billion. Thring said residents should be asking how the money was being spent.

"eThekwini is one of South Africa's most important cities. We have a major African port, King Shaka International Airport, tourism, manufacturing, logistics, beaches, a large business community and millions of residents. We have the ingredients to build a great city. What we need is a municipality that works."

Political analyst Dr Siyabonga Ntombela said the large number of parties could lead to significant vote-splitting.

He said parties such as the MK Party and the DA had loyal support bases, although he argued that the MK Party benefited from former president Jacob Zuma's personal following, while the DA continued to draw support from its white voter base.

"Parties such as the ANC, EFF and NFP will be haemorrhaging votes. However, these splinter parties will not be kingmakers, nor will their presence change the inevitable," Ntombela said.

Asked whether lesser-known parties had enough time to persuade voters, he said there was limited time but that many voters had already decided how they would vote.

Professor Musa Xulu said the rise in the number of parties reflected the growing importance of political office as a full-time career.

"It is therefore not surprising that the number of political parties has risen. It is always about income," he said.

Xulu said many smaller parties lacked clear policies and administrative experience. However, he said opposition to the ANC could split the vote and allow the governing party to retain power despite the challenge from other parties.