Questions have been raised as to whether former Midvaal mayor Bongani Baloyi has a chance of becoming the MK party’s mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg.
According to the Sunday Times, there is a group within the MK party pushing for Baloyi to become the face of the party in the City of Johannesburg.
But on Wednesday, the party released a list of names to lead the MK party election campaign in Joburg and other parts of Gauteng, and Baloyi’s name is not on it.
In his media statement on Wednesday, 6 May, the party’s secretary-general, Sibonelo Nomvalo, said that the formation of these regional task teams is meant to position the MK party as the only sound political alternative towards rescuing a collapsing local government system in South Africa.
“Our people deserve better local government, and the MKP [MK party] has sought to identify credible and highly committed members from our communities who will lead and coordinate the party’s 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE) machinery,” he said. More announcements are expected from Nomvalo.
Baloyi joined the MK party in 2024 after his party, Xiluva, suffered a major blow at the last general elections. Before forming Xiluva, he was a DA success story as the mayor of Midvaal. He left the DA to join ActionSA’s leadership in Gauteng, but also left there after a falling-out with the party’s senate.
Baloyi’s changing ideology
Political analyst Theo Neethling told The Citizen on Thursday that there are questions about Baloyi’s ideological consistency, bearing in mind his political history.
“Bongani Baloyi’s political career established him as a young emerging leader in the DA with a reputation for good governance and administrative success, particularly during his tenure in Midvaal Local Municipality. His decision to later move away from the DA, then to form his own party, Xiluva, and finally to join the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, indicates a politician who is constantly searching for a political home that supports his vision and ambition.
“His joining the MK party is probably the most significant step in his political journey. On the one hand, this can be seen as pragmatic politics – a recognition that small parties like Xiluva have little chance of exerting major national influence.
“On the other hand, it raises questions about ideological consistency, as Baloyi’s image of good governance and institutional stability is not necessarily easily compatible with the more populist and confrontational style of the MK party,” said Neethling.
Does Baloyi have enough backing in the MK party?
According to Neethling, Baloyi has support from some within the MK party to take up the position of the party’s mayoral candidate for Joburg.
“The question is whether this translates into widespread support. Whether he can become the face of MK’s campaign in Johannesburg is debatable.
“His term as mayor was very successful on the one hand, but his former ties with the DA could also be problematic on the other.
“For some in the MK party, this seems problematic.”
Despite the controversy surrounding Baloyi, Neethling said the MK party does not stand a chance of becoming the majority party in the City of Johannesburg.
“But if the MK party does well, it could make them an important role player when coalition formation comes up after the election, and the potential role that Baloyi can play in the MK party’s campaign is thus of political significance,” he said.
A radical party
Another political analyst, Andre Duvenhage, said he is not surprised that Baloyi is not on the list of the elections task team for the City of Johannesburg.
“It will surprise me if Bongani Baloyi will become a mayoral candidate of the MK party, I think his connection environment and the MK [party] are not in his favour.
“What we need to read into is that the MK party is pulling all the stops to fight in these elections, and this is one of the reasons there is a fundamental drop in the support for the ANC. It has a lot to do with the Jacob Zuma factor and the MK party’s ability to mobilise support in a very radical way.
“I believe that Baloyi is a bit too moderate for the approach of the MK party, which is basically anti-system,” he said.
