MK Party's mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Bongani Baloyi, is optimistic about his party's chances of winning the city outright in the upcoming local elections. Baloyi, a former Midvaal mayor, believes that the MK party can defy the polls and emerge as the biggest political force in South Africa's economic hub. He is focusing his campaign on townships and informal settlements, including Soweto, Orange Farm, and Diepsloot.
Recent polls paint a different picture, with the DA leading in Johannesburg with 42% support, followed by the ANC with 18%, and MK with 13%. However, Baloyi is undeterred, citing the party's strong performance in the 2024 national elections, where it won 45.93% of the national ballot in KwaZulu-Natal. He attributes the party's momentum to its focus on addressing the concerns of residents in townships and informal settlements.
Baloyi believes that the MK party is eroding the base of the ANC and IFP, and that its campaign has been warmly received across Johannesburg. He notes that there is a palpable sense of anger among communities towards the ANC, citing failing basic services and leaders becoming "aloof and patronising" towards residents. Baloyi is confident that the party's human resources and daily campaigning across all 15 wards will make up for its lack of financial muscle.
Despite Baloyi's optimism, the polls suggest that no party is on course for an outright majority, and coalition talks are likely. A July poll showed that several coalition combinations are possible, including an ANC-EFF-MK arrangement or a DA-led government involving other parties. Baloyi has ruled out working with the DA and Freedom Front Plus, citing fundamental policy differences.
Baloyi is reluctant to commit to a coalition with other parties, insisting that the party will have to "apply its mind" to the election results before deciding which partners it can align with. He emphasises that the party's focus is on securing a majority, and that voters should not assume that a coalition is inevitable. Baloyi urges residents to give MK a chance and tells voters to "brace themselves for a surprise" in Johannesburg.
If MK does win the city, it will be its first municipal election, and the party has never governed a metro. Baloyi's experience as Midvaal mayor gives him a local-government track record, but Johannesburg is a vastly more complex municipality. He believes that voters have a simple choice: they can go for what they know and get the same chaos, or they can vote for a party "anchored by a person who's led a local municipality before".
Baloyi accuses established parties of allowing the metro to decay through questionable appointments, flawed planning, and wasteful expenditure. He argues that voters should not cast their ballots for parties that will only win a small share of the vote, but rather be strategic and choose a party that can generate mobilisation and support in the City of Johannesburg. The 2026 local elections will be a test of whether MK can translate its national success into local government power.
Key points
- MK's mayoral candidate Bongani Baloyi is confident that his party can win Johannesburg outright in the 2026 local elections.
- Recent polls suggest that the DA and ANC are ahead of MK in Johannesburg, but Baloyi believes that his party's momentum is growing.
- The MK party's performance in the 2024 national elections has given Baloyi confidence that it can win the city outright.
