Can a television drug-buster rescue a failing metro?

ActionSA's newly announced Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Xolani Khumalo, has identified several critical issues he plans to address if elected mayor. These include maladministration, the high crime rate, corruption, and pervasive drug problems within the community.

Khumalo is vying for the mayorship of a city that houses Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport, the busiest airport on the continent of Africa. frequently in the news as a major transit point for drug trafficking.

Over the years, the police have seized drugs and arrested scores of people trying to bring drugs into the country or smuggle items illegally.

Can Khumalo succeed where others failed?

He is being positioned as a bold alternative to traditional politics ahead of the local government elections.

Speaking to The Star, Khumalo described his mayoral candidacy as “a great honour” and a personal mission. 

“Standing as a mayoral candidate for Ekurhuleni is a great honour. This is an opportunity to fight for families in Ekurhuleni to get safety, dignity and working services. Having grown up in Tembisa, I know what it would mean to have a working hospital that is adequately resourced. My priority would be to ensure every cent is channelled to service delivery. I hope to restore law and order, dignity and service delivery.”

Khumalo emphasised his plan, noting that it targets Ekurhuleni’s high crime, drug, and corruption levels. He also highlighted a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, including creating an Independent Anti-Corruption Unit to investigate and prosecute wrongdoing, cancel corrupt contracts, blacklist offenders, and conduct lifestyle audits on officials.

He also explained that residents will have the power to hold municipal officials accountable, with poor service and corruption exposed publicly. 

“Residents will be able to rate municipal officials; bad service and corruption will be exposed publicly. Just like Mashaba did in Johannesburg, billions can be saved if corruption ends.

“Also supporting ward committees that truly represent residents with every complaint addressed within 48 hours,” Khumalo shared.

ActionSA regional spokesperson Tumelo Tshabalala emphasised that Khumalo is “not another politician” but a courageous community defender and crime activist who has consistently stood with residents against drug dealers, gangsters, and corrupt officials. 

He said the party’s choice of Khumalo as Ekurhuleni’s mayoral candidate was “a no-brainer,” given the urgent need to tackle crime and corruption.

Tshabalala added that Ekurhuleni is facing a crisis marked by maladministration, high crime, corruption, and pervasive drug issues. He stressed that the party aims to take decisive action rather than offer empty promises.

Tshabalala highlighted Khumalo’s plan to address Ekurhuleni’s crime crisis, which includes setting up specialised EMPD units in hotspots to dismantle drug syndicates, gangs, and illegal mining operations. 

“We need a strong, fit, and accountable EMPD officers fighting crime, not taking bribes,” he said, adding that the plan endorses decisive action to shut down drug houses and arrest dealers, no matter their connections. The party fully supports this strategy and will ensure capable men and women are deployed to serve in Khumalo’s mayoral committee.

He emphasised that the core message is to eliminate corruption and prioritise strong, accountable governance.

The party’s president, Herman Mashaba, announced on Saturday that Khumalo will be ActionSA’s mayoral candidate for Ekurhuleni, praising him as a “fearless, ethical leader.”

Mashaba said Khumalo is poised to reclaim the municipality from criminal networks, restore essential services, and drive growth and job creation.

Khumalo, a former Moja Love ‘Sizokthola’ presenter, rose to national prominence for exposing drug dens and challenging gangsters and corrupt officials.

In April 2025, he was acquitted of charges connected to the death of an alleged drug dealer in a widely publicised case.

Having a person like Khumalo in our politics is a big breath, according to political commentator, Kenneth Moeng Mokgatlhe.

''This is a big win for both ActionSA and the people of Ekurhuleni. People need people who walk the talk. We have politicians who read speeches marred by lies to deceive people without changing the lives of the people for the better. Xolani Khumalo has a great following. He will need to consolidate his popularity into political and electoral support. I greatly believe that you will have members of other parties endorsing the mayoral candidacy of Khumalo. He has shown his distinctive ethical and moral ground, something that many politicians lack.''

But Khumalo faces a huge challenge, acknowledged.

''The City of Ekurhuleni is important because it houses O.R.Tambo International Airport, which is one of the ports used by the drug cartels to send and receive drugs, which are all over our communities. I do not doubt that Xolani Khumalo's priority will include fighting drug trafficking, something that he has mastered even more than the law-enforcement authorities, who are failing dismally to fight drug trafficking.

''But he needs to go beyond the drug-fighting campaign, the City of Ekurhuleni has a lot of socio-economic-political issues, such as lack of housing, collapsing roads and traffic infrastructure, unpaid municipal rates, unemployment, crime and lack of economic and investment opportunities. So he will need to be versatile and diverse rather than focusing on one issue.

Political analyst, Anda Mbikwana. Mbikwana said that while Khumalo's television work exposing drug dealers has earned him national acclaim, his entry into the political arena raises uncomfortable questions that extend far beyond one man's candidacy.

''Ekurhuleni is drowning. Raw sewage flows through streets, once promised development.

''Potholes swallow vehicles whole. Water taps run dry for weeks. Refuse piles mount into toxic mountains while ratepayers watch their municipal accounts balloon with inexplicable charges.''

''The question facing residents is not whether Xolani Khumalo is popular. The question is whether South Africa's obsession with celebrity politicians has become another symptom of our democratic decay.

According to Mbikwana, Khumalo's political move reflects the patterns of South African leadership.

''We have witnessed musicians, actors, sports stars, and media personalities leverage their fame for political gain. Yet the pattern remains disturbingly consistent: big promises, massive publicity, minimal delivery.

''We have witnessed musicians, actors, sports stars, and media personalities leverage their fame for political gain. Yet the pattern remains disturbingly consistent: big promises, massive publicity, minimal delivery.''

But can a television crusader revive a failing metro? Time will tell.

The Star

masabata.mkwananzi@inl.co.za