Good puts Herron as mayoral candidate for Cape Town

DESPITE the uncertainty over whether this year's local government elections will go ahead in October, political parties have begun selecting their preferred mayoral candidates.

Good Party leader Patricia de Lille yesterday announced Brett Herron as its candidate for Cape Town mayor, while the ANC said it was still busy finalising its lists.

The DA is today expected to pick Geordin Hill-Lewis for Cape Town mayor.

Herron currently serves as a member of the Western Cape provincial legislature, a position he has held since 2019 after the national and provincial elections.

He left the DA in November 2018, following Patricia de Lille's resignation as a member of the DA and mayor of Cape Town.

He listed spatial justice, economic justice and climate change solutions as among his priorities.

“In January 2017, I became responsible for housing. We made a commitment to turn housing delivery around. And we did.

“After the first six months we were able to increase the delivery of housing opportunities from 4 293 in 2016 to 6 028 in 2017.

“The following year the number grew to 8 095. It was the first time Cape Town met, let alone exceeded, its housing delivery target.

“Creating conditions that are conducive to job-creating investment is the foundation of any successful city. We will restore our roadways, rebuild our collapsed public transport and complete our long-promised, but never fully delivered, internet connectivity.

“The city's sewerage system must be professionally managed and maintained so that sewage is stopped from flowing into precious wetlands in the metro, and also stopped from flowing into the homes of residents,” Herron said.

DA insiders said the party was aiming to retain the gains it made in Gauteng's big metros: Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Joburg.

A source said the DA was likely to retain Randall Williams as its mayoral candidate for Tshwane.

The DA has run Tshwane through a shaky coalition since the local government elections in 2016.

In Joburg, the party is expected to announce Dr Mpho Phalatse as its mayoral candidate.

In Ekurhuleni, where the ANC narrowly won most wards in 2016, the DA plans to field Refiloe Ntsheke as its mayoral candidate.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the party had yet to select a candidate for eThekwini municipality, by Sunday, the source said.

The DA also hoped to retain the Midvaal Municipality and make some more gains in the Mogale City Municipality.

The ANC said it was busy finalising its candidate lists in an extended national executive committee meeting.

The party has seen infighting in some provinces, with disputes over submitted final candidate lists.