The City of Johannesburg is ground zero ahead of the upcoming local government election. The battle for political dominance in the country’s economic heartland will be brutal and could again culminate in messy coalitions
Read MoreDemocratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen formally announced his withdrawal from the party’s succession race during a media briefing in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday. The move has been long in the making, with talks around Steenhuisen’s potential exit beginning toward the end of 2025. The key question is whether a refresh in the upper echelons of the DA leadership can, first, reignite support from its base and, second, attract new voters to the party.
Read MoreThe last two local government elections in SA took place against a backdrop of elevated internal and external political uncertainty, a trend expected to continue into the 2026 local government election . We therefore begin the year’s client commentary with a political risk assessment by our newly appointed political analyst, Natasha Marrian, examining current political dynamics and key risks ahead of the upcoming election.
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