EKURHULENI, Tuesday 25 August 2026 — Divisions have emerged within the Democratic Alliance’s Ekurhuleni caucus as the party finalises its candidates for the November local government elections, with disputes over candidate rankings and an assault allegation adding pressure to its campaign in one of South Africa’s most closely watched metropolitan contests.
The tensions come as the DA prepares to campaign behind its Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, while seeking to improve its position in a metro where no party currently holds an outright majority.
The Citizen reported on Tuesday that several current councillors are unhappy with the party’s candidate-selection process, with some experienced representatives allegedly ranked lower on candidate lists or facing the prospect of not returning to council after the 4 November election. Those claims have not been independently established, and the DA maintains that its selection process is based on candidate assessments and performance.
Ward councillor Lana Marais said she had appealed aspects of the selection process and questioned the ranking of some experienced councillors.
The internal tensions escalated following the DA’s Gauteng East regional congress last week, where Marais alleges fellow councillor Madeleine Muller pushed her from behind.
Marais subsequently opened a criminal complaint at Kempton Park police station and said she required medical treatment for injuries to her back and leg. Muller denied the allegation and told The Citizen that she had been unaware of the complaint until approached by the publication.
No finding has been made against Muller, and the allegation remains disputed.
Questions have also emerged over the future of Boksburg Ward 23 councillor Gerald Goslin.
Goslin said he had not been given a clear explanation for why he would not return as a ward councillor. He also rejected suggestions that a document associated with him showed he intended establishing a rival political party.
Goslin won Ward 23 for the DA in an October 2023 by-election with 96.44% of votes cast, according to official Electoral Commission results, making uncertainty over his candidacy notable in an area where the party has previously recorded strong support.
The City of Ekurhuleni currently lists both Goslin and Muller as DA ward councillors.
The DA has defended its broader candidate-selection process.
Muller said candidates are subjected to performance assessments and targets, while a senior party official told The Citizen that performance over the previous five years forms a significant part of candidate scoring.
DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis also played down suggestions that disputes following candidate selection were unusual, saying unsuccessful or lower-ranked candidates frequently challenge the outcome of internal selection processes.
The party says it has completed candidate selection across all 257 municipalities, although final lists can still change before they are formally published through the election process.
The Ekurhuleni dispute carries greater electoral significance than a routine internal party disagreement because of the political position of the metro.
Ekurhuleni has experienced unstable coalition government since the 2021 municipal elections, and control of the council after November is likely to depend again on both individual party performance and post-election coalition negotiations.
Internal cohesion could therefore matter to the DA’s ability to campaign effectively behind Rasilingwane and retain experienced representatives across wards where it already has an organisational presence.
The allegations do not establish that the DA’s candidate process was improperly conducted, and the party disputes claims that political alignment determined candidate rankings.
The immediate test will come when final candidate lists clarify which incumbent councillors will contest the election and whether the current disagreements remain internal selection disputes or result in resignations, defections or independent candidacies.
