The Patriotic Alliance (PA) has named its Deputy President, Kenny Kunene, as the party’s mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg. The announcement, made by PA leader Gayton McKenzie, positions Kunene to lead the party’s efforts to gain control of the metro in the upcoming local government elections, with a focus on improving service delivery and restoring stability.
Timeline of key electoral events.
2025
- April – June: The Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) holds public consultations for the redrawing of ward boundaries across the country.
- October: The MDB will hand over the new ward boundaries to the IEC.
- Ongoing: Political parties begin their internal processes for candidate selection. For example, the Democratic Alliance (DA) opened applications for councillor candidates in February 2025 and for mayoral candidates in March 2025.
2026
- The general local government elections must be held between November 2, 2026, and January 30, 2027. This is because the term of the current municipal councils, which were elected on November 1, 2021, ends five years later, and the elections must be held within 90 days of that date. The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs is responsible for setting the final date within this window.
Kunene, who is also known as “The Sushi King,” has a background as a businessman, motivational speaker, and politician. He is a co-founder of the Patriotic Alliance, which he started with Gayton McKenzie in 2013. He has previously served as a Johannesburg city councillor and as the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Transport. He has vowed to tackle crime and improve basic services in the city.
More recently, online reports from July 2025 indicate that Kunene was suspended by the Patriotic Alliance from his role as the MMC for Transport and placed on a one-month leave of absence from party political activities. This suspension was pending an investigation into his presence at the home of a suspect during a police raid. Political opposition, such as ActionSA, has also called for his permanent removal from the mayoral committee. Despite this, he remains the party’s Deputy President.
