’Johannesburg is in a Fight for its Future’

…Mashaba declares as he positions his 2026 mayoral candidacy as a Joburg rescue mission

ActionSA leader, Herman Mashaba, has officially stepped back into the political ring after being unveiled as the party’s mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg on Saturday.

With the 2026 local government elections on the horizon, the announcement at the Orlando Community Hall in Soweto sets the stage for a high-stakes battle over the future of South Africa’s economic heartbeat.

The campaign launch was defined by a combative tone, with Mashaba declaring that: “Johannesburg is in a fight for its future,” effectively ositioning his candidacy as a rescue mission rather than a mere political contest.

Mashaba told ActionSA supporters that he was returning to the fray to provide the decisive leadership necessary to take back the city from a state of paralysis.

“I’m stepping back into the ring to take back my city,” Mashaba stated firmly.

He added: “This is a fight against corruption, incompetence, lawlessness, decline and collapse.”

Having previously served as the city’s executive mayor from 2016 to 2019, Mashaba drew a sharp contrast between his tenure and the current state of the metro. He highlighted the daily struggles of residents facing dry taps, sewer spillages, broken streetlights, and crumbling road networks.

Mashaba attributed the city’s deterioration directly to "sickening corruption" and a fundamental breakdown in municipal governance.

At the core of his 2026 bid is a strategic program titled Operation Fix Johannesburg. The initiative rests on two primary pillars - the restoration of basic services and the aggressive eradication of graft.

Mashaba argued that the city’s first priority must be a targeted infrastructure recovery plan specifically addressing water, electricity, and sanitation systems. He emphasised that maintenance must be proactively funded and monitored instead of the current reactive approach to recurring crises.

Reflecting on his track record, Mashaba noted that his previous administration replaced more than 2 000 km of water pipes and 160 km of sewer pipes within three years.

If returned to office, he pledged to double the pace of these upgrades and move toward total transparency by publishing measurable performance targets for the public to track.

For Mashaba, the fight against malfeasance remains the linchpin of any potential recovery.

“Corruption is not a side issue. It is the reason taps run dry,” he said.

To combat this, he committed to reinstating a strengthened anti-corruption unit, enforcing lifestyle audits for senior officials, and blacklisting any contractors found to be unethical.

In a move toward radical accountability, he also promised to make all major tenders publicly accessible.