Kunene’s Joburg candidacy sealed months before scandal

The Patriotic Alliance (PA) has said that its deputy president, Kenny Kunene, who is currently suspended from the party, has been its Mayoral candidate for Johannesburg for several months.

This comes after the party’s announcement that he would be running for mayor of the country’s economic hub in the 2026 Local Government Elections.

However, this raised suspicion about the veracity of the investigation into his connection to a murder accused.

The party’s national spokesperson, Steve Motale, told Newsday that Kunene had not been selected during his suspension but had been the PA’s candidate for several months before the scandal unfolded.

In July, Kunene was found at the Sandton home of Katiso “KT” Molefe when the police arrived to arrest him in relation to the murder of Oupa “DJ Sumbody” Sefoka.

Kunene claimed that he was escorting a journalist from his online publication for an exclusive interview with the murder accused.

There was another person with them, Kunene said, who had arranged to meet with Molefe.

Kunene then resigned as Johannesburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee (MEC) for Transport and was suspended from the PA for 30 days.

Motale said that the party remains mindful of the investigation, which is expected to be concluded in the coming days, having announced Kunene as its candidate for Johannesburg.

If the investigation finds Kunene and Molefe are connected, appropriate action will be taken against the party’s deputy president. 

“In the unlikely event that there are any adverse findings made against Kunene, he will step aside from all of his leadership positions within the PA,” Motale said.

He added that while the PA has no backup candidate for Kunene, “there is plenty of talent to choose from for the position within the party.”

PA leader Gayton McKenzie said that his party would launch an investigation into Kunene’s connection to Molefe after the media storm, which has yet to be concluded.

Although the 30-day suspension has elapsed, McKenzie revealed on a Facebook live that the investigations are ongoing, urging supporters to remain patient.  

“He has done very good work in the City of Johannesburg, and the deputy president will be our mayoral candidate for the city,” McKenzie said.

“We insist on this as he was once a councillor himself. We will discuss the position with him, but we want his case to finish.”

McKenzie said in a live video that this process has been particularly challenging for him, given his brotherly relationship with Kunene.

“It hurts me, what’s happening to Kunene. It hurts me that it’s happening at my hand. But right is right. I must treat Kenny Kunene like I would treat any other patriot,” McKenzie said.

“I know he’s innocent, but he must be investigated. I personally believe that he shouldn’t have been there.”

Battle in the Joburg coalition

The PA has yet to appoint someone to replace Kunene since he resigned from Johannesburg’s Transport portfolio in July, causing a standoff among coalition members.

 Of the 270 seats in the City of Johannesburg council, the ANC holds 91, the Democratic Alliance (DA) 70, ActionSA 44, the EFF 29, the PA 9, and the Inkatha Freedom Party 7.

After ANC’s Dada Morero was elected mayor in August 2024, the party formed a coalition called the Government of Local Unity (GLU) with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Patriotic Alliance, and several minority governing parties.

The PA was only assigned the Transport MMC portfolio following the formation of the coalition.

It is understood that the PA wanted to appoint new recruit Liam Jacobs to the position. However, the rest of the coalition did not agree, as he had very little experience in municipal governance.

However, according to McKenzie, the delay is not because of Jacobs’ appointment but because the EFF wants the Transport portfolio in exchange for one of theirs.

Reports suggest that the EFF want to exchange the Public Safety portfolio, held by Mgcini Tshwaku, for the transport portfolio.

McKenzie says that the ANC has approached the PA about the exchange, but they declined.

Following news of the standoff between the EFF and PA, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said he did not understand why there was conflict regarding the position.

“We don’t understand this standoff because Kunene resigned from the municipality and left the transport position that belongs to the PA, as agreed upon within the coalition government,” Mbalula said.

“So when Kunene leaves, the PA brings in a replacement for him. Why should there be a fight about who replaces Kunene in the transport position?”