Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi

Economic Freedom Fighters

eThekwini

Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi EFF eThekwini Mayoral candidate.

Picture: Supplied

The Person

The 52-year-old is a founding member of the EFF and a senior figure deployed to Parliament. She was elected the party’s first deputy secretary-general in 2014 and served in its Central Command Team until 2019. She entered the National Assembly in 2014.

The Message

“Water in every tap. Light in every home. A home for every family.”

Mkhaliphi wants to confront systemic failure, restore accountability and make the municipality serve its communities rather than fail them.

The Agenda

In her first 100 days as mayor, Mkhaliphi would focus on billing, debt and water. The EFF would hire young people and train them as plumbers to fix leaks in their own wards, cutting water losses and youth unemployment.

Mkhaliphi wants to correct billing errors, cancel irregular debt and overhaul the indigency policy to protect vulnerable residents. This includes moving families out of transit camps, restoring Durban’s train lines and boosting township economies.

The Challenge

In 2021, the EFF won 10.48% of the eThekwini vote and 24 council seats, third behind the ANC and DA. With 69 parties on the ballot this year, Mkhaliphi must defend that ground against the ANC, the DA and now the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, which commands substantial support across KwaZulu-Natal and is aggressively contesting the metro.