DA to announce Joburg mayoral candidate

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane will announce on Saturday who the party has selected to be its Johannesburg mayoral candidate in this year's local government elections.

Two candidates were nominated - Wits professor and DA councillor Rabelani Dagada and businessman and Black Like Me founder Herman Mashaba.

Dagada and Mashaba appeared before the DA's electoral college on Friday where they were interviewed by a panel.

Mashaba announced in December that he was making himself available as a nominee for the position.

"For too long I have watched from the side-lines at how corrupt and self-serving [ANC] politicians have mismanaged Johannesburg — Africa’s most vibrant economic powerhouse," he said in a short statement at the time.

"I believe it is time hard-working and honest people make themselves available for public service."

Mashaba said he was prepared to put in 100% of his effort to be the official opposition's Johannesburg mayoral candidate.

"It is my hope the city will once again be the beacon of light for the whole of Africa and a safe haven for its own citizens."

Dagada announced his intention to stand as a nominee for mayoral candidate earlier this month.

In a statement explaining why he was making himself available, Dagada said the threat to the country's democracy was staring it in the face and it was because of this that he decided to actively participate in politics.

"If we, the educated black intellectuals, don’t actively join politics, we may be labelled betrayers in many years to come by historians," he said.

"We should deliberately swell the ranks of the DA in order to strengthen multi-party democracy.  I am advocating for the DA because going forward there will only be two dominant political parties in South Africa, the DA and ANC."

Dagada said he was committed to being the DA's Johannesburg mayoral candidate and would leave without pay or resign from his permanent job so that he could give his undivided attention to "the battle ahead".

"I have a thick skin and I like a good fight," he said.