ActionSA mayoral candidate for eThekwini
Zwakele Mncwango for mayor.
Zwakele Mncwango is ActionSA's provincial chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal and the party's candidate for mayor of eThekwini. He leads the ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal 2026 manifesto: clean government, real service delivery, jobs and dignity for all.
- Current role
- Provincial chairperson, ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal
- Candidacy
- eThekwini mayoral candidate, announced by ActionSA president Herman Mashaba in KwaMashu in August 2026
- Council experience
- Leader of ActionSA's caucus in the eThekwini council, as reported in February 2026. First elected an eThekwini councillor in 2011.
- Provincial experience
- Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature from 2018 to 2022, including a term as Leader of the Opposition from 2018 to 2019
- Background
- Born in Nongoma. A qualified electrical engineer with a Master's in Business Administration. Joined ActionSA in 2022 after two decades in the Democratic Alliance, where he led the party in KwaZulu-Natal.
Residents before politics
Five conditions for governing eThekwini.
When he accepted the nomination, Mncwango presented a 10-point plan to fix eThekwini. He set its first five commitments as ActionSA's non-negotiable conditions for joining any coalition government, because they put residents ahead of politics.
Restore basic services
Insource essential municipal services
Restore financial discipline and end corruption
Restore law and order
Build a growing, clean and responsive city
From the 10-point plan
What he has committed to.
Commitments Mncwango set out when his candidacy was announced, as reported by the media.
Water and sewage
Repair major leaks within 48 hours, replace ageing pipelines and maintain stormwater and other infrastructure on a regular schedule.
Electricity
Upgrade substations, improve maintenance, speed up repairs and combat cable theft.
Insourcing
Bring essential services in-house and cut reliance on contractors and labour brokers.
City finances
Strengthen revenue collection and restore financial discipline.
Law and order
A specialised Metro Police unit focused on illegal immigration, drugs, illegal businesses and hijacked buildings.
Clean councillors
Lifestyle audits for all councillors and protection for whistleblowers.
Go! Durban
A summit with stakeholders and transport experts within 30 days to find the causes of delay, with no further funding until a full audit is done.
One team, from the city to the street
A mayor and an ActionSA councillor in every ward.
A mayor who fixes leaks in 48 hours needs ward councillors who report every fault and follow it up until it is fixed. Meet the ActionSA candidate standing in your ward.
ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal 2026 manifesto
Clean government. Real service delivery. Jobs and dignity for all.
KwaZulu-Natal stands at a crossroads. Poor governance, corruption, collapsing infrastructure, water shortages and unemployment have left communities frustrated. Municipalities have failed to deliver basic services while public money is lost to mismanagement and tender abuse. The 2026 local government elections are the chance to reset, rebuild and restore.
Clean, accountable government
Transparent budgeting, open reporting and zero tolerance for corruption.
Functional municipalities
Water in the taps, lights on, refuse collected and roads maintained.
Economic growth and job creation
Support for SMMEs, less red tape and local procurement.
Safe and dignified communities
Municipal Security Units to enforce by-laws and protect infrastructure.
Build capable municipalities
Insource the work. End tender abuse.
ActionSA will reduce reliance on tenders and build the municipality's own capacity. It will insource security services, infrastructure maintenance and cleaning and waste services. That cuts corruption, improves efficiency and creates permanent local jobs.
Outsourcing will be kept to a minimum where the municipality can do the work itself. All major contracts will be published and corruption will carry consequences. Public money must serve residents, not politically connected contractors.
Policy commitments
What an ActionSA municipality will do.
Fix the water crisis
Reduce water losses, repair leaks, upgrade infrastructure and ensure consistent supply in all communities.
Infrastructure maintenance first
Roads, electricity networks, stormwater systems and public facilities kept up through preventative maintenance programmes.
Fair and transparent recruitment
End cadre deployment, introduce merit-based hiring and open recruitment.
Professional, accountable government
Performance contracts, published service delivery reports and consequences for failure.
Grow the local economy
Support SMMEs, cut red tape, buy locally and unlock agriculture, tourism, the township economy and industry.
Restore law and order
Municipal Security Units to enforce by-laws, reclaim hijacked buildings and support law enforcement.
Lawful migration
Work with Home Affairs and SAPS so all businesses comply with the law. All who are legally documented and respect South African law are welcome.
Every rand accounted for
Transparent budgeting, open reporting and zero tolerance for corruption.
Source: ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal 2026 local government elections manifesto.
ActionSA is ready to govern.
On 4 November the people of eThekwini can choose: more failure or a government that works. Vote ActionSA for mayor and for your ward. Let's fix KwaZulu-Natal together.