DA Names Haniff Hoosen as eThekwini Mayoral Candidate for 2026
Viable News Team 
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has officially announced Haniff Hoosen as its mayoral candidate for eThekwini Municipality in the upcoming 2026 local government elections.
The announcement was made by DA federal leader John Steenhuisen at a rally in Chatsworth on Thursday, 26 September 2025, positioning Hoosen as the party’s choice to lead Durban after what the DA describes as decades of ANC mismanagement.
Steenhuisen’s Rally: A Call for Change
Speaking to a lively crowd, Steenhuisen criticised the ANC’s governance of eThekwini, pointing to water shortages, sewage spills, crumbling infrastructure, and unreliable electricity.
“This city and the whole of South Africa stand at a crossroads. The country is waking up to the realisation that only the DA can govern effectively,” Steenhuisen declared.
He dismissed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent call for ANC councillors to learn from DA municipalities as “too little, too late,” arguing that “the ANC is built on the rot of corruption and cadre deployment, and it can never be fixed.”
Steenhuisen highlighted DA-led successes in Cape Town, Midvaal, and uMngeni, pointing to clean audits and improved service delivery as proof of competence. He warned against “radical parties” like the MK Party and EFF, and cautioned voters not to split the opposition vote among small “pop-up parties.”
Haniff Hoosen: A Local Leader with National Experience
Hoosen, a Durban-born politician with deep roots in KwaZulu-Natal, has served as a DA councillor in eThekwini and later as an MP and shadow minister for both home affairs and cooperative governance.
In his acceptance speech, Hoosen pledged to prioritise basic services, restore dignity in communities, and fight corruption.
“We will restore dignity to our neighbourhoods, invest in our townships, light our streets, fix our water and sewage systems, and make this city work for all its people — not just for the insiders,” he said.
Hoosen also committed to tackling the “water mafia”, strengthening local infrastructure, and creating job opportunities.
The DA’s Rescue Plan for Durban
The DA’s campaign message in eThekwini focuses on reversing “30 years of disastrous ANC rule.” The party is drawing comparisons to municipalities under its control:
- Cape Town: 21 unqualified audits since 2003/4.
- Midvaal: 11 consecutive clean audits.
- uMngeni: top rankings in household services.
Steenhuisen argued that these examples prove the DA’s governance model delivers results, contrasting it with the ANC’s record of corruption, mismanagement, and service collapse.
The DA’s announcement also builds momentum after its recent by-election win in Ward 64, which the party says reflects growing voter frustration with ANC leadership in Durban.
As the 2026 election battle heats up, Hoosen’s candidacy sets the stage for one of the most high-stakes contests in South Africa’s local government landscape.
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