Herman Mashaba leads the race for ActionSA's Johannesburg mayoral candidacy
Herman Mashaba is among five leaders in ActionSA’s running for Johannesburg mayor. The party’s CSC will meet on Monday, with the official candidate announcement set for 21 February 2026.
Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Newspapers
ActionSA's party leader Herman Mashaba, is among five senior leaders in the running to become the party's Johannesburg mayoral candidate.
The Central Candidate Selection Committee (CSC) is set to finalise its decision on Monday ahead of an official announcement on Saturday, 21 February 2026.
Those who will be interviewed are Mashaba, Michael Beaumont, Lerato Ngobeni , Dereleen James MP and Funzi Ngobeni.
IOL previously reported that ActionSA had finalised its internal nominations process for the mayoral position, while not ruling out Mashaba as a contender.
In a sit-down interview with IOL in November last year, Mashaba indicated he would consider contesting the mayoral position ahead of the 2026 local government elections if the party could not identify a suitable candidate.
He said that if ActionSA failed to find someone with the same “qualities” as City of Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya and the party’s Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Xolani Khumalo he would be willing to step in himself.
ActionSA National Chairperson, Michael Beaumont said the party had undertaken a “rigorous process of engaging its structures and assessing candidates on their ability to turn around the collapse of service delivery in Johannesburg”.
Beaumont added that the candidates have been engaged by the party and have obliged the request to make themselves available for consideration following an extensive period of consultation, engagement and vetting.
He said they had submitted presentations outlining turnaround plans for Johannesburg, undergone security vetting, and would participate in the interview phase before final deliberations were concluded.
Beaumont said ActionSA was “deeply mindful of the state of Johannesburg and the total collapse of service delivery that has unfolded over the past few years under the leadership of the African National Congress, Democratic Alliance and various micro-party mayors”.
He added that the “revolving door of leadership in the city has been matched only by a complete apathy as Johannesburg has stumbled from one disaster to another, leaving residents in the dark, both literally and figuratively, about how the collapse will be reversed”.
Beaumont also said the party was clear that any chosen candidate “will be required to lead a complex coalition in the running of a city that ActionSA leaders have a proven track record of fixing in the past”.
He expressed confidence that the CSC will apply its mind to the decision before it and will put forward a candidate at Saturday’s launch who offers a credible alternative to the failed politics that have broken Johannesburg.
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za
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