CAPE TOWN, Wednesday 30 September 2026 — Former Western Cape legislature speaker Masizole Mnqasela has been unveiled as the Alliance of Citizens for Change’s candidate for mayor of Cape Town, adding another experienced former DA politician to the contest for control of the country’s second-largest metro ahead of the 4 November local government elections.
The ACC announced Mnqasela’s candidacy at an election event in Delft on Tuesday, where he presented a 15-point municipal platform centred on basic services, crime, municipal accountability and assistance for vulnerable households.
Mnqasela, who previously represented the DA and served as speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, founded the ACC after leaving the DA.
His entry adds another mayoral candidate to an already crowded Cape Town election in which 55 parties and 12 independent candidates have been certified to contest.
ACC launches 15-point Cape Town platform
Mnqasela said the ACC’s proposals were campaign commitments subject to legal, financial and administrative requirements rather than guarantees that could automatically be implemented if the party entered government.
The platform includes proposals covering water, electricity, sanitation, roads and refuse removal as well as municipal billing and measures aimed at pensioners and vulnerable households.
The ACC is proposing an increase in free basic electricity for qualifying households and additional municipal relief for residents facing financial pressure.
Mnqasela acknowledged that such proposals would require a sustainable funding model, council tariff decisions, budget approval and compliance with applicable legislation.
He also proposed lifestyle audits for municipal politicians and officials as part of an accountability programme.
Crime and extortion form part of campaign
Crime is another central element of Mnqasela’s platform.
He called for sustained intelligence-led action against gangs and extortion networks, stronger protection for witnesses and businesses and investigations capable of producing successful prosecutions.
Some of those functions extend beyond the constitutional powers of a municipality and would require cooperation with SAPS and other spheres of government.
Mnqasela has previously called for the reinstatement of capital punishment for serious murder cases.
South Africa’s Constitutional Court abolished the death penalty in 1995, meaning its reintroduction would require substantial constitutional and legislative changes beyond the authority of the City of Cape Town.
The ACC’s municipal platform also proposes support for South African-owned spaza shops and small businesses, youth skills-development programmes and measures aimed at environmental and spatial inequality.
24-hour clinic proposal would require provincial cooperation
Mnqasela said the party would push for clinics to operate around the clock.
He acknowledged that the proposal could not be implemented by the municipality acting alone and would require cooperation and funding from provincial health authorities and potentially other spheres of government.
The qualification is significant because responsibility for public healthcare is divided across different spheres of government and the City does not control the entire provincial health system.
The ACC also proposes what Mnqasela described as a fairer municipal billing system under which residents would be accurately charged for the services they receive.
Crowded contest for Cape Town
The IEC’s certified candidate information shows Cape Town will have one of the country’s most crowded municipal contests, with 55 parties and 12 independent candidates participating.
The DA is seeking to retain control of the metro, while the ANC, EFF, Patriotic Alliance and several smaller parties are competing for representation and influence over the next council.
The number of contestants does not itself indicate how council seats will ultimately be distributed.
Cape Town uses a mixed electoral system combining ward contests with proportional representation, meaning the overall balance of the council will depend on votes across both components of the municipal election.
For the ACC, Mnqasela’s candidacy gives the smaller party a mayoral campaign built around a politician with previous experience in both the DA and the Western Cape legislature.
The party will now have just over a month to translate that profile and its 15-point programme into support in a metro where the DA enters the election as the incumbent administration.
