Tshwane | Those 70 from DA want to take wards from ANC

Cilliers Brink, the DA’s mayoral candidate in Tshwane. (Photo; Tania Heyns/Maroela Media)

The DA in Tshwane believes the ANC is no longer guaranteed from any ward.

On Tuesday, the party announced 70 ward councilor candidates who will compete in this year’s municipal election in wards currently ruled by the ANC.

The candidates include Themba Fosi, the DA in Tshwane’s spokesperson for utilities, Vishnu Paladh, a former policeman and station commander, and Thabisile Vilakazi, an advocate for women’s rights and a strong voice against gender-based violence.

The candidates were all subjected to a strict selection process. All are considered leaders in their communities and do not chase titles or tenders, says Cilliers Brink, the DA’s mayoral candidate in Tshwane.

On Tuesday, when announcing the candidates in Mabopane, Brink said that the DA can only govern the capital after November if it nominates the strongest possible candidates in the township wards.

“So we do things slightly differently today,” he explained at the launch in Mabopane.

“Usually we announce the candidates in the wards that the DA has already won. Today we are turning it around. We will first start with the wards that we want to take from the ANC and will do the others later.

“Do you know why?” Brink asked supporters. “Because we won in Evaton and we can win in Mabopane. We won in Evaton and we can win in Mamelodi.”

Brink is convinced that the DA, like in the besieged Emfuleni local municipality, can also wrest township wards in Tshwane from the ANC. “We are the only party that is not an ANC splinter party, that can challenge the ANC.”

Brink believes his party can also win in Atteridgeville, Oliewenhoutbosch, Laudium and the Pretoria city center and the DA is aiming for an absolute majority in Tshwane.

Some of the ward councilor candidates who will compete in wards currently governed by the ANC. (Photo: Tania Heyns/Maroela Media)

“To win with a convincing majority that can withstand the motions of no confidence and the attacks of tenderpreneurs, we must grow in the ANC’s half-region. We must place strong candidates in ANC wards,” Brink told Maroela Media.

The DA won its first township ward in Gauteng a few weeks ago when the party wrested ward 28, a traditional ANC ward in Evaton West in Emfuleni, from the ANC with a by-election.

And in Tshwane, the DA’s support increased by 229% in October 2025 in the by-election of ward 10 in Mamelodi.

The DA believes these results show that times are changing.

Cilliers Brink, the DA’s mayoral candidate in Tshwane. (Photo; Tania Heyns/Maroela Media)

“The DA believes that every resident deserves a councilor who is visible, accountable and willing to fight for the people they serve,” said Crezane Bosch, the DA’s regional chairman for Gauteng North and the party’s campaign manager in Tshwane.

“When the taps run dry, when substations burn, when roads are full of potholes, when grass is not cut and infrastructure collapses, the DA’s ward councilors do not disappear.

“They are on the ground, talking to residents, demanding answers and fighting for solutions.

“We are proud to introduce a team of candidates who have earned their place through hard work, dedication and service. These candidates have undergone rigorous training and a thorough selection process. They were not chosen because they were popular at a branch meeting.

“They were chosen because they are fit for purpose. They are rooted in their communities. They understand the local challenges and they have already shown a commitment to solving those problems,” says Bosch.