The Democratic Alliance (DA) has named Haniff Hoosen as its mayoral candidate for eThekwini, officially launching its bid to take control of the metro in the 2026 local government elections.
The announcement was made before a packed audience at Havenside Community Hall in Chatsworth, where party leaders delivered fiery speeches promising clean governance, accountability, and urgent service delivery for Durban’s long-suffering residents.
DA KwaZulu-Natal leader Dean Macpherson told supporters the party was ready to govern effectively.
“The DA will be the single largest party in this city, and with that mandate, we will govern. While others do nothing but complain, we took this municipality to court to stop sewage from running through our streets,” he said.
Provincial leader Francois Rodgers called for unity and grassroots mobilisation.
“Our mayoral candidate cannot do it alone. I cannot do it alone. We need you, our foot soldiers, to convince voters that if they want change, they must vote for it,” he said, adding that Durban’s potential in tourism and industry was being wasted by failing infrastructure.
DA national leader John Steenhuisen echoed the message, urging strong voter turnout while painting a picture of what a DA-led city could look like.
“The DA has shown we can stop the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK). Close your eyes and imagine golden beaches packed with tourists, industries buzzing, and children safe in the streets. That is the Durban we can build together,” he said.
Accepting the nomination, Hoosen spoke emotionally about his childhood in Chatsworth and the inequalities he witnessed.
“It is an enormous privilege to lead this movement that will bring change to the people of this beautiful city. We can build a city where all our children have a future, a home, safety and jobs,” he said.
Reflecting on his upbringing, he added: “This place where we gather today, Chatsworth, is a special place for me personally. It is the neighbourhood where I spent most of my childhood years, walking its streets, spending hours in the parks and catching little fish in the streams, when it was safe to do so. It was the people of this community who taught us that if we want to achieve something important in life, we must work hard for it, because nothing in life comes easy or free.”
He also highlighted the struggles faced by ordinary families. “The vast majority of people who live in our city are middle-class families. They work hard every day to put their children through school and raise them to become responsible citizens. Yet, daily life has become a real struggle, just to get by. They work hard, pay their taxes and rates, and then pay double taxation to cover up for the services their city fails to deliver,” he said.
Promising urgent reforms if elected, Hoosen said: “Within the first few days of taking over, we will begin the process of collecting more than R40 billion in outstanding revenue and redirect it to fix water, sanitation, housing and policing. Within the first few days, we will also come in with a new broom to eradicate corruption and close the taps for those crooks who have been stealing our money.”
Ending on a rallying cry that brought the hall to its feet, Hoosen declared: “Change is coming to Durban. We can. We must. And together I promise you we will.”
