Chatsworth voters will have a mix of familiar faces and new political hopefuls knocking on their doors as the Democratic Alliance (DA) prepares for the 4 November 2026 Local Government Elections.
The party has unveiled its candidates for eight wards across the Chatsworth area, with Ziyaad Ally contesting Ward 17, Chris Van Der Berg in Ward 63, Samantha Magdalene Windvogel in Ward 65, Kurshida Kaja in Ward 69, Janikie Devi Naidoo in Ward 70, Ramona Valayatham in Ward 71, Bob Daniel Naidoo in Ward 72 and incumbent councillor Daniel Logan Mea in Ward 73.
The candidates bring a mix of political experience and grassroots activism, with water, roads, electricity, housing, service delivery and community safety among the issues they say they want to address. For Ward 71 candidate Ramona Valayatham, the contest is deeply personal.
Valayatham has lived in the ward since she was seven and describes it as her home and the community she has served for years. She has spent the past eight years working with community organisations and DA structures, gaining experience in ward committees, municipal systems and community development.
Her work has included assisting residents with service delivery, housing, social support and municipal account problems. “I am not an outsider. I grew up here, I have served you, I know this community, I know its struggles and I know its potential,” she said. Valayatham said she was ready to use her experience to help build a stronger, safer and better-managed Ward 71.
In Ward 65, incumbent councillor Samantha Magdalene Windvogel is seeking another term after first winning the ward for the DA in 2016. Windvogel, who has a long history of community activism, said one of her biggest achievements was securing a R3-million science laboratory and playground for Umhlatuzana Primary School, which serves the Burlington community. She said her work had also focused on water, electricity, roads, refuse removal, housing, youth and women empowerment, illegal dumping and crime.As an ECD educator, Windvogel said education remained a key priority.
“Leadership to me is not about a title. It’s about accountability, integrity and being on the ground with the people,” she said. Ward 63 candidate Chris Van Der Berg brings 15 years of experience as a councillor, as well as a background in community policing and civic structures.
He has served as a sector policing chair, CPF chair, ratepayers’ chair and police reservist. With water challenges continuing to affect residents, Van Der Berg said he remained committed to fighting for a reliable and fair water supply.
“I don’t believe in giving up and, with resident support and assistance, I believe we can make the difference we are all fighting for,” he said. In Ward 70, DA candidate Janikie Devi Naidoo brings 14 years of experience within the party and community structures.
Naidoo previously worked alongside the late councillor Kanagie Pillay and later served with councillor Vilakazi Sibiya. Her experience includes reporting service delivery problems, following up with municipal departments and assisting residents. She said being a councillor was about being present, listening to residents and taking action.
Meanwhile, Kurshida Kaja, the DA candidate for Ward 69, has more than 15 years of community activism behind her. Since 2022, she has worked as councillor administrative support, assisting residents with municipal processes and community concerns. Her community work has included food drives, feeding schemes, clean-up campaigns, youth initiatives, educational fundraising, health awareness, disaster relief and support for senior citizens. Dahaja said she wanted to continue using her experience to serve residents. “Leadership is not about promises. It is about service, action and delivering for the community,” she added.
Ward 73 incumbent councillor Daniel Logan Mea is among the younger members of the team and says his first term has already delivered results. Since taking office in 2023, Mea said he had helped secure the writing off of substantial municipal billings, cleared a backlog in indigent support applications, refurbished a sporting facility in Croftdene and resolved a 42-year-old flooding problem affecting residents. The 30-year-old councillor has also represented South Africa internationally and works closely with community organisations, religious groups and the Reena Park CPF.
In Ward 17, Ziyaad Ally brings decades of community involvement and activism. Ally became involved in community work as a teenager and has assisted residents with water and electricity accounts, municipal issues and other social challenges. An IT consultant with more than 30 years of experience, Ally said he wanted to use his technical and project-management skills to improve local government. He said technology could be used to improve the lives of residents. Ward 72 candidate Bob Daniel Naidoo brings more than 30 years of community service and social justice work His experience includes leadership roles in football and table tennis organisations, civic structures and the Bayview Residents and Ratepayers Civic Association He also helped establish the Chatsworth and District Partnership Against AIDS and founded The New Voice, a community newspaper focused on human rights and community concerns.
For Naidoo, community service is about making a difference rather than holding a title.“My greatest award is not an award or title. It is the opportunity to improve people’s lives,” he said.
The DA says its Chatsworth candidates bring a combination of experience, community knowledge and a commitment to service delivery.
With election day approaching, the candidates will now take their campaigns into the wards and attempt to convince residents that they have what it takes to address the challenges facing their communities.
The final decision will rest with voters on Wednesday, 4 November.
