Minister touted as mayoral candidate

The battle to rule one of Gauteng's three metro municipalities is hotting up with the name of at least one cabinet minister being suggested as a mayoral candidate in the imminent municipal elections.

The name of Minister of Mineral Resources Susan Shabangu has been thrown into the hat as a nominee to run the Ekurhuleni metro.

"It is unusual for a minister to be suggested as a mayor," said a member of the ANC's regional executive committee yesterday. He said the ANC has been advocating gender balance and Shabangu's name "came up in our discussions".

Current Ekurhuleni mayor Mondli Gungubele, who took over from Gauteng health MEC Ntombi Mekgwe after the ANC region was disbanded last year, is expected to square up against Shabangu.

Gungubele, a member of the party's provincial executive committee, is said to have a better chance of winning Ekurhuleni than Shabangu because he has the support of regional ANC structures.

In Johannesburg, Parks Tau, the mayoral committee member for finance, is expected to succeed Amos Masondo, who will step down after the elections after serving two terms.

Despite being fingered for failing to deal with Johannesburg's billing crisis, Tau, who has been with the municipality for about 11 years, is said to be No1 on the mayoral candidates lists.

He is expected to compete with Nkele Ntingane, the speaker of the embattled metro council.

Murphy Morobe, CEO of Kagiso Media, had also been named as a contender against Tau and Ntingane, but a source in the regional executive committee said his name had been deleted from the list.

In Tshwane, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is expected to continue as mayor. The region is expected to submit three nominations to the provincial ANC tomorrow.

Ramokgopa, 35, who last year replaced his aunt, Deputy Health Minister Gwen Ramokgopa, after president Jacob Zuma's cabinet reshuffle, will be up against lesser competition in the form of Sibongile Moselelane, the mayoral committee member for transport and roads, and Esther Nhlapho, from the Motsweding district, who has never served as a councillor.

Public Works Minister Gwendoline Mahlangu-Nkabinde's name is said to have been discussed but her nomination was "shot down" at a recent regional ANC office bearer's meeting because, with her strong political credentials, there were fears that she would give Ramokgopa too much of a run for his money.