A woman who spent her formative years in a Tembisa informal settlement without running water, electricity or proper sanitation has been named as the DA's pick to lead the City of Ekurhuleni. Khathutshelo (Khathu) Rasilingwane, 36, was unveiled as the party's mayoral candidate at a gathering in Olifantsfontein on Friday, receiving a roaring reception from supporters draped in blue.
Rasilingwane, who arrived in Gauteng as a ten-year-old and soon found herself living in the Moriting informal settlement, delivered an emotional address recounting her journey from poverty to politics. She recalled peering out of a vehicle window at sprawling shack settlements and telling her mother she did not want to live in such a place — only to find herself residing there months later.
"I know what it means to live without basic services. I know the pain and frustration of seeing promises not kept. That is why I stand here today," Rasilingwane told the crowd.
She painted a vivid picture of life in Moriting — homes made of corrugated iron, pit toilets instead of flush systems, rat infestations and streets overflowing with refuse. Her mother scraped together a living as a street vendor selling fruit and vegetables. Despite the hardship, Rasilingwane said the experience ignited a passion for justice rather than crushing her spirit. She entered local politics as an Ekurhuleni Metro councillor in 2016 and currently holds a seat in the provincial legislature.
Pledges to root out corruption and restore services
Turning her attention to the metro's present challenges, the candidate condemned what she described as criminals running the local government who had plundered public finances, destroyed infrastructure and caused services to collapse. She vowed that under DA governance, the party would not permit institutions meant to serve residents to be captured.
Rasilingwane outlined a series of commitments: fighting for Tembisa communities enduring weeks without water, for Kempton Park households suffering relentless load-shedding while food spoils, for Daveyton residents watching rubbish pile up on pavements for weeks, and for Boksburg motorists risking their safety on pothole-riddled roads. She pledged to eradicate corruption, appoint officials on merit rather than political loyalty, stabilise water and electricity supply, restore refuse collection and bolster law enforcement to make communities safer. Growing the city's economy by cutting red tape and attracting investment also featured prominently in her plans.
"We will destroy corruption and ensure that public money is used to provide basic services. We will build a professional, capable administration where officials are appointed based on merit, not political connections," she declared.
Brink and Msimanga rally behind the nomination
Cilliers Brink, the DA's mayoral candidate for Tshwane, spoke ahead of the announcement, describing Ekurhuleni as "the right chamber" of Gauteng's economic heart. He pointed to Germiston's logistics hub, Alberton's manufacturing legacy and the aerotropolis around OR Tambo International Airport as proof of the metro's significance — assets he said were being squandered by power cuts, corruption and extortion of businesses. Brink argued the city's weakness stemmed from weak leadership and votes being fragmented across too many parties.
He urged voters to imagine a "triangle of excellence" spanning Johannesburg under Helen Zille, Tshwane and a DA-led Ekurhuleni — municipalities working with the private sector to repair roads, fix electricity and water infrastructure, and replace politically deployed cadres with qualified professionals across metro police, fire services and utilities.
"Together, that triangle of excellence, of clean government, of service delivery can change Gauteng and it can change South Africa," Brink said.
Solly Msimanga, the DA's Gauteng leader, endorsed Rasilingwane as the ideal person to turn the metro around. He praised her as a daughter of Tembisa with first-hand understanding of residents' needs, describing her as someone who brings an unwavering commitment to improving society, a sharp focus on service delivery and a heart that genuinely cares for the people of Ekurhuleni.
South Africa's most populous metro, Ekurhuleni, anchors a significant share of Gauteng's economic output through its logistics networks, manufacturing base and OR Tambo aerotropolis, meaning persistent service failures there ripple outward to households and businesses across the province. For residents enduring chronic water shortages, unreliable power and deteriorating roads, the upcoming local government contest could determine whether basic infrastructure stabilises or declines further. The outcome will also signal whether opposition-led metros can deliver a credibly different governance model at scale.
