By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
ActionSA has announced TV host Xolani Khumalo as its Mayoral Candidate for the City of Ekurhuleni, ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
His announcement as a mayoral candidate was greeted by a wave of cheers as he shook hands with party members and leaders.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba described Khumalo as a “fearless, ethical leader” ready to reclaim Ekurhuleni from criminals, restore basic services, and drive economic growth.
“This is the leader who will end corruption in our city, restore dignity to forgotten communities, and give Ekurhuleni the fresh start it deserves, “said Mashaba.
Khumalo has faced scrutiny in the past. In 2023, an alleged drug peddler died during the filming of Sizok’thola, which Khumalo is the host, leading to charges of murder, robbery, and malicious damage to property.
All charges against him were temporarily dropped.
ActionSA National Chairperson Michael Beaumont said their candidate was born in the city he was contesting, and took a dig at Helen Zille’s decision to run as mayor of Johannesburg.
“ActionSA doesn’t have to wheel pensioners from Cape Town to come and fix municipalities,” he said.
Taking to the podium, he promised to fight crime and political collusion with criminals.
“You know me for fighting drug syndicates that destroy our communities, but today we will fight another fight. We will fight crime.
“I stared criminals in the eye. I chased drug dealers through the night. I took on this fight to protect SA’s most vulnerable. I cannot stand by as criminal syndicates do what they want in this country.”
He said while he had his time in court, he would do it all again.
“The rot and corruption have crippled us. As dangerous as drug dealers are, the greatest criminals are not hiding in shadows; they are in government.”
He said that corruption is public enemy number one, and won’t be tolerated.
“The real fight is walking into a drug den at two in the morning and catching drug dealers naked and removing them from our communities. The real fight is confronting murderers and arms dealers that are flooding our streets and neighbourhoods.
“Now it is the time to take the same fight to the Ekurhuleni City Hall and weed out the corrupt criminals who dare to call themselves public servants.”
He said he would start an independent anti-corruption unit and launch lifestyle audits, to keep officials accountable.
The 2026 SA municipal elections are scheduled to take place between November 2 2026 and February 1 2027.
The elections will determine the composition of councils for all metropolitan, local, and district municipalities across SA.
In Ekurhuleni, the municipal council consists of 224 members, with half elected through first-past-the-post voting in 112 wards and the other half through proportional representation.
Watch Live in the video below:
Video Courtesy of ActionSA.