The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) says it will prioritise competence, experience and skills over political loyalty when selecting mayoral candidates ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
The party has argued that poor leadership appointments have contributed to the decline of municipalities across South Africa.
Addressing a media briefing on Thursday, MKP secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo said the party was finalising its candidate selection process and would soon announce both its mayoral nominees and the criteria used to identify them.
The move forms part of the party’s preparations for the local government elections as it seeks to position itself as a viable alternative to governing parties at municipal level.
Nomvalo said the party was determined to avoid repeating what it believes are mistakes made by other political parties when deploying leaders to municipalities.
“When we announce our mayoral candidates in the few days coming, we are going to outline the criteria used to say we’ve decided on these comrades because of A, B, C and D,” he said.
The secretary general stressed that the party would not sacrifice competence for loyalty.
“We want to give assurance to South Africans and to members of the MK Party that we are not going to use cadre deployment at the expense of quality.”
“Quality must supersede cadre deployment.”
The comments represent one of the clearest indications yet of how the party intends to approach leadership appointments in local government ahead of a highly contested municipal election cycle.
Municipal governance is expected to feature prominently in election campaigns as many municipalities continue to grapple with failing infrastructure, water shortages, financial instability, poor service delivery and governance failures.
Against that backdrop, Nomvalo said mayoral appointments must be based on an individual’s ability to perform complex governance responsibilities rather than political allegiance alone.
He argued that local government leadership directly affects the daily lives of residents and therefore requires capable individuals who understand administration, finance and governance.
“At the end of the day, those mayors are going to be responsible for the lives of our people at a local government level,” he said.
Nomvalo specifically highlighted the financial responsibilities carried by mayors, saying the role required individuals capable of overseeing complicated governance processes.
“Mayors are chairing finance committees. That is a very complex job.”
The MKP’s position also serves as a direct critique of the ANC’s deployment model, which the party believes has contributed to governance failures in municipalities across the country.
Nomvalo accused the governing party of using flawed selection criteria that prioritised considerations other than competence.
“We have seen on the other side of the political divide, in the ANC in particular, that the criteria has compromised the quality of service delivered.”
His criticism comes as municipalities across South Africa continue to face increasing scrutiny over deteriorating infrastructure, mounting debt, water supply failures and poor audit outcomes.
Several major municipalities, including metropolitan governments, have faced recurring criticism from oversight bodies over weak financial controls, governance failures and an inability to deliver basic services consistently.
Nomvalo argued that municipalities could not afford to appoint leaders who lacked the skills required to manage complex local government systems.
“If you just take a clown there which doesn’t know whether it’s coming or going, we are compromising the interests of the people on the ground,” he said.
The secretary-general also stressed the importance of ensuring that elected leaders possess sufficient knowledge to engage with council processes and administrative responsibilities.
“If you take a mayor who is not going to be able to read minutes, to understand minutes of a council meeting, you are gambling with the lives of the people.”
According to Nomvalo, three key factors will guide the party’s selection process: experience, knowledge and skills.
“Experience, knowledge and skills are going to take precedence in our criteria.”
He said the party’s objective was to ensure that municipalities are led by individuals capable of making informed decisions and managing public resources responsibly.
The emphasis on competence comes as local government increasingly emerges as a key battleground ahead of the elections.
Years of governance failures have left many municipalities struggling with water outages, electricity disruptions, deteriorating roads, refuse collection backlogs and growing public frustration over service delivery.
Political parties are expected to face intense scrutiny from voters over the calibre of candidates they put forward to govern municipalities.
Nomvalo suggested that the MKP intends to differentiate itself by presenting candidates whose qualifications and abilities can be publicly defended.
“This is not about deploying people who are only loyal to the party,” he said.
Rather, he said, the party’s focus is on identifying leaders capable of delivering meaningful improvements in communities.
