By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has removed an unknown Zandile Hlophe-Mkhwanazi as its mayoral candidate for eThekwini just 12 days after she was unveiled.
Fullview learnt that the directive follows the allegations that IEC councillor lists were manipulated.
The party leader Jacob Zuma ordered a probe into the allegations ahead of the November 4 local government elections.
“The investigation will seek to establish the full facts and ensure that any persons found responsible for wrongdoing are held accountable in accordance with the organisation’s rules and procedures,” the party said in a statement on Wednesday, 09 September 2026.
The party said its national chair, Apostle Mxolisi Phakathi, was its new eThekwini mayoral candidate.
Hlophe-Mkhwanazi and Sibonelo Maphumulo were also removed from the National Party Liaison Committee with immediate effect, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Hlophe-Mkhwanazi is a technology entrepreneur and co-founder and CEO of GirlCode, and she has an academic background in Computational and Applied Mathematics.
The IEC said candidate nominations closed at exactly 5pm on August 28, through both its online system and hand delivery at its municipal offices, and that nothing could be lodged after that point.
It will publish the final list of candidates on September 16 and issue certificates of candidacy on September 25.
Zuma said reports that duly nominated and deserving candidates had been taken off the lists sent to the commission, with other names put in their place, struck at the integrity of the party and at the democratic will of its members.
“There is no place for manipulation, political gatekeeping or the abuse of organisational processes,” the party said.
“The party will leave no stone unturned in uncovering truth regarding any misrepresentation or irregularities involving councillor candidate lists.
Zuma called upon all members and structures to put these challenges behind, unite behind the candidates and rally behind councillor and mayoral candidates towards a decisive victory in the Local Government Elections on 4 November 2026.
In the 2021 municipal elections, the ANC led eThekwini with 42% of the vote. However, the rise of MK party severely weakened the ANC in the 2024 elections, positioning MK to become the metro’s largest party following the upcoming local government elections. At stake is a R70-billion budget, trailing only Johannesburg, Cape Town and Ekurhuleni.
An Ipsos poll released this month put the MKP at 55% among registered voters who expressed a party preference in eThekwini, well ahead of the DA on 17%, the ANC on 10%, the IFP on 6%, ActionSA on 4% and the EFF on 3%.
A separate poll conducted by the Social Research Foundation and The Common Sense, however, placed MKP much lower at 33%, followed by the DA on 23%, the ANC on 18% and the IFP on 16%.