The announcement of Haniff Hoosen as the DA’s mayoral candidate for the eThekwini Municipality has drawn scepticism even from within the party’s rank-and-file members.

DA members who spoke to The Mercury yesterday raised doubts about his public profile and, by extension, his ability to attract voters. They said Hoosen’s announcement as the mayoral candidate for one of the biggest metros in the country was a general indication of the dearth of high-profile leaders in the party within the province.

A political analyst also questioned the DA’s competitiveness in the upcoming local government elections in eThekwini.

The DA announced on Friday that Hoosen, a seasoned politician, would be the party’s mayoral candidate in eThekwini. However, party members expressed scepticism about Hoosen’s ability to woo the electorate into the party.

“People applied for the position, and a candidate was chosen. There are favourites, of course, like everywhere. There are too many unknown and unsellable people in the party, hence the nomination of Helen Zille as the mayoral candidate in Johannesburg,” said one party member, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Another leader in the party suggested that the nomination could make it easier to elect a mayor if there is a need for a coalition government.

“Remember that in the last election, we did not have a mayoral candidate, and when the municipality was hung, we had to scramble to put forward a candidate. I believe this is part of the leadership’s strategy to ensure that there is a candidate in place should there be a need for one.”

This is the second time Hoosen will lead a campaign to unseat the ANC in eThekwini. Ahead of the 2016 municipal elections, Hoosen was selected as the DA’s mayoral candidate for eThekwini.

He has also been a member of parliament for the DA (2014–2024). He served as the Shadow Minister of Home Affairs from 2014 to 2019, the Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2019 to 2020, and the DA’s spokesperson on the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General from 2020 until his resignation in 2024.

Speaking to The Mercury yesterday, he acknowledged that he may be an unknown entity, especially to many younger voters.

“I believe that is to my advantage, as many of the young people will only be focused on service delivery,” he said. He added that people across the city are tired of race politics but are demanding service delivery.

“Under my administration, services will be delivered where the need is.”

He said Umngeni Local Municipality, led by Chris Pappas, and other DA-governed municipalities across the country were a blueprint on how eThekwini would be led. He said stopping the theft of resources and redirecting those to service was the priority.

Democratic Liberal Congress (DLC) Leader Patrick Pillay said the DA is primarily grandstanding with mayoral candidates, which is really meaningless, because the party is already in a marriage with the ANC.

“This practice of the DA is consistent with their superficial propaganda they espoused every election. After the previous elections, he went very quiet only to be showcased again for the 2026 elections,” he said.

Politics and cultural expert Professor Musa Xulu said the DA would struggle to unseat the ANC, noting that KZN is a province currently overwhelmed by identity politics, where the group, rather than the individual, matters.

“It is also a province of cultural politics, meaning that, for as long as a candidate is not from the majority cultural community, he or she cannot draw much of the votes.”

The biggest challenge for the DA in KZN is the isiZulu language and culture challenge, which, if not accounted for in elections, may easily sink the ship irrespective of policies.

He said the DA started its election campaign very early, possibly to familiarise the public with its policies, which unfortunately are generally perceived as favouring what some see as white supremacy.

“Until the DA moves in the direction where they are seen to be responsive to the aspirations of especially black African communities, announcing mayoral candidates may not significantly improve their electoral fortunes,” Xulu said.

THE MERCURY

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