A DJ, a footballer, an actor, a podcaster, a controversial television presenter and a poet—names that are familiar in living rooms, on radio playlists and on sports highlight reels—are throwing their hats into the ring for South Africa’s local government elections in November.
Politics, it appears, is proving harder to ignore than a new album drop or the next match-day fixture. Several high-profile celebrities are now standing for municipal seats across multiple metros, signalling that public attention and name recognition will be central to this election cycle.
Among the latest to join the fray is retired Orlando Pirates footballer Thulasizwe Mbuyane, who is running in ward 67 in Tshwane. Mbuyane will represent the Economic Liberators Forum South Africa.
He is part of a broader slate of well-known figures drawn from entertainment, sports and media. Others include Themba “SkeemGP” Nzimande, a former cash-in-transit offender turned podcaster, who is the Afrika Mayibuye Movement’s mayoral candidate for Ekurhuleni. The same metro will also see Xolani Khumalo—former host of the drug-busting reality show Sizok’thola—standing as ActionSA’s mayoral candidate for Ekurhuleni.
In Durban, actor Jimmy Magubane from the SABC1 soapie Uzalo is contesting ward 7 in his hometown of Ntshongweni for the African Transformation Movement party.
Joburg’s mayoral race has attracted another public figure known for social commentary: poet, musician, beadwork artist and social activist Ntsiki Mazwai is standing as the Land Party’s mayoral candidate.
Cape Town will have hip-hop DJ Ready D—real name Deon Daniels—running as the mayoral candidate for the People’s Movement for Change.
Ringo Madlingozi: “I would never get involved in politics again”
While celebrity entry has become a notable theme, not all famous faces see politics as a lasting vocation.
Multi-award-winning singer Ringo Madlingozi—an MP for the EFF from 2019 to 2023—offered a warning ahead of the new wave of candidates. He said that although entering parliament provided valuable exposure, he would not repeat the experience.
“I was given a front-row seat in the political sphere, and I’m glad I was there. To be part of the policy creation was something different. But there were those who were angry that I got into politics. I thought we’d be more mature and understand that everybody is there to make people’s lives change.”
He also said that some people refused to play his music because he was affiliated with the EFF.
“Then there is the realisation that not everything can happen just like that, because there are forces beyond us running the show.
“I would personally think that politicians know what should be happening for the people for things to change. Budgets should be allocated, yet people will debate whether to help someone dying or not. That’s not where I want to be.”
Madlingozi’s remarks land as a reminder that politics can be both a platform and a pressure-cooker—one that can reshape public life in ways entertainers and media personalities may not anticipate.
DJ Ready D joins the race for government—after years of activism
For DJ Ready D, the decision to enter politics has been shaped by both personal experience and long-standing engagement with community issues.
He said he had wondered what it would be like to be in government, “but I didn’t know how; I didn’t know when”.
His path to candidacy began when People’s Movement for Change leader Marius Fransman invited him to attend a screening of the political documentary Legacy of Hope: Freedom Through Solidarity The Russia, Cuba, South African Chapter in June last year. Two weeks later, Fransman followed up with him.
“He asked me if I’d ever considered serving my community in a greater capacity. What really resonated with me was looking at where I am in my life and my age. I thought that maybe this is something I needed to consider.
“I have first-hand experience with forced removals. Our family was among the last relocated out of District Six to Mitchells Plain, where we had to find our way around a new and foreign environment and a new way of life, being part of a new community and navigating the pitfalls of gang violence. “In my lifetime, I have made it through major political events — the first state of emergency and the riots of 1976. I was a little child who didn’t understand that. And of course, from 1985 to 1988, we experienced the next wave of extreme violence and the lockdowns and state of emergency. The trauma of witnessing so many things, paying close attention to how it impacts society.”
Ready D, who spent decades using music and street culture to challenge the status quo as part of hip-hop group Prophets of the City, described political music as persistent but insufficient.
“Political music and activism have never gone away. In Cape Town, there’s still music that touches on social commentary in the hip-hop culture, but I don’t think it’s making the necessary impact,” he said. “I do feel, however, that there’s a resurgence and awakening that is happening in our country, and young people are starting to raise their voices and opinions.”
He said he has paused his gig at KFM since July last year to focus on his campaign. He explained that he and the station manager have aligned on how to avoid allegations of unfair political influence.
“We had a really mature and great meeting with our station manager. We are in full understanding of why I should not be on air. We don’t want to be in a position where people can accuse us of having a platform to push our agenda.”
Ntsiki Mazwai: Johannesburg’s decline pushes activist into the race
Ntsiki Mazwai said the worsening decay in Johannesburg has pushed her to enter the mayoral contest.
“Like so many residents, I have watched with deep pain as those entrusted with our city have allowed it to fall into neglect and lawlessness. Joburg was once a beacon of promise; today too much of it reflects the dysfunction we see across our continent.”
Mazwai said that remaining an armchair critic was not enough, and that she wants her voice to become action.
“Remaining an armchair critic was no longer enough. “I have spent years speaking truth to power from outside the system. Now I want to take that voice into the chambers where decisions are made — and turn criticism into action, accountability and tangible change.” Mazwai said her voice has been at the centre of political debates and national discourse for decades.
“I have consistently spoken about power, inequality, justice, governance and the lived realities of ordinary South Africans. My political engagement did not begin with this election, and I am not entering politics simply because there is a ballot with my name on it. “I am entering it to bring [my] voice … into the political space where decisions are actually made.”
A celebrity-driven campaign landscape
Together, these candidacies point to a strategy increasingly visible in modern elections: using public familiarity to build momentum, while arguing that the nation’s public-facing personalities can translate into governance.
Whether the celebrities’ entry will bring renewed public energy—or whether it triggers deeper scrutiny of qualifications and political experience—will be tested in the coming months, as campaigning intensifies ahead of November.
For now, the message from the new crop of candidates is clear: the entertainment world is no longer confined to stages and studios. It is moving, loudly, into the corridors of municipal power.
