By JD GLOBAL MEDIA
Al Jama-ah has formally placed Cape Town councillor Advocate Shameemah Dollie Salie at the centre of its campaign for the city’s executive mayoral position, adding another candidate to an increasingly competitive field ahead of South Africa’s 4 November 2026 local government elections.
Salie’s candidacy places safety, municipal infrastructure and service delivery at the heart of the party’s campaign. She has also raised concerns about Cape Town’s ability to expand and maintain infrastructure as the city’s population grows and housing demand increases.
The development comes during the final weeks before voters across South Africa elect new municipal councils.
The Cape Town contest is particularly significant because the municipality has a different political structure from several other major metropolitan areas in the country. While coalition governments have become an increasingly important feature of South African municipal politics, Cape Town has continued to be governed by the Democratic Alliance, which has held a majority in the city for more than a decade.
Al Jama-ah’s entry into the mayoral contest therefore adds another political option for voters and contributes to the wider field of parties competing for representation on the City of Cape Town council.
Salie’s Political Background
Salie currently serves as an Al Jama-ah proportional-representation councillor in the City of Cape Town.
Before returning to municipal politics, she served in the National Assembly and has also previously served as a City of Cape Town councillor.
Her professional background is in law.
According to information released by Al Jama-ah, Salie previously worked as a State Advocate and later with the Office of the Family Advocate. Her professional experience included matters involving family law, children, gender-based violence and vulnerable people.
The party is presenting that background as part of the experience she would bring to municipal government.
Her campaign is also being built around issues that directly affect residents at local level rather than national policy alone.
Among those issues are public safety, infrastructure maintenance, housing, municipal services and the condition of communities.
Salie has said that leadership should remain connected to residents and that elected officials should understand the practical problems faced by communities.
Safety Identified As A Major Campaign Issue
Safety is one of the three central priorities identified by Salie.
Her campaign has highlighted concerns about crime, gender-based violence and the need for stronger responses to safety problems affecting communities.
Cape Town's municipal government does not control all policing functions because the South African Police Service is a national government institution.
However, municipalities have responsibilities that affect the safety environment, including law-enforcement support, traffic management, by-law enforcement, public-space management and infrastructure such as lighting and roads.
This distinction is important during municipal elections because residents vote for local representatives whose responsibilities differ from those of provincial and national government.
Salie's emphasis on safety therefore intersects with several different spheres of government.
A municipal administration can influence aspects of the local environment while policing, criminal investigations and prosecution remain primarily responsibilities of national institutions.
Her campaign has also connected safety concerns with gender-based violence.
That issue has a wider national dimension but can also affect local government through community programmes, public-space planning, support services and cooperation with other institutions.
Infrastructure And Population Growth
Infrastructure is another major issue identified by the Al Jama-ah candidate.
Salie has questioned whether Cape Town's existing infrastructure is keeping pace with population growth and rising demand for housing.
The question affects a broad range of municipal services.
As more people move into or are born within urban areas, municipalities have to expand and maintain roads, water systems, sewerage networks, electricity distribution infrastructure, waste services and public facilities.
When population growth outpaces infrastructure investment, existing systems can come under greater pressure.
Salie has pointed specifically to problems such as sewerage infrastructure and potholes while also raising concerns about whether infrastructure originally designed for smaller populations can adequately support the city's current needs.
The issue is not limited to construction of new infrastructure.
Municipalities must also maintain existing systems, replace ageing equipment and ensure that infrastructure is available in areas experiencing rapid development.
Housing And Land
Housing and land are also expected to feature prominently in Salie's campaign.
Cape Town has experienced substantial demand for housing, while affordability and access to well-located land remain important issues in the city's politics.
Municipal decisions can influence land-use planning, zoning, development approvals, infrastructure provision and the location of public facilities.
However, housing delivery is shared across different levels of government.
The national and provincial governments have important responsibilities in housing policy and funding, while municipalities play significant roles in planning, land management and providing municipal services.
This division of responsibilities means that claims made during municipal campaigns need to be considered alongside the actual powers available to city government.
Salie's campaign nevertheless places housing and land among the issues she believes require greater attention.
Ward 60 Contest
Salie is also contesting Ward 60.
The ward includes areas such as Lansdowne, Kenwyn, Rondebosch East, Garlandale and Sybrand Park.
This means her campaign has two interconnected dimensions.
She is seeking support for her party at council level while also contesting a specific ward.
The local government electoral system gives voters the opportunity to elect ward councillors as well as determine the proportional representation composition of municipal councils.
The structure is important because the executive mayor is not elected through a separate direct mayoral ballot.
Instead, councillors form the municipal council after the election, and the council elects the executive mayor.
Consequently, a candidate seeking the mayoralty must first become part of the council through the applicable electoral route before participating in the process through which the mayor is chosen.
A Growing Cape Town Mayoral Field
Salie joins a growing list of politicians seeking to lead Cape Town after the November election.
The incumbent mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, is seeking another term representing the Democratic Alliance.
Other parties have also identified candidates or begun preparing their campaigns for the metropolitan contest.
ActionSA has named Dereleen James as its Cape Town mayoral candidate, while the Economic Freedom Fighters has selected Nontando Nolutshungu.
Other political formations have also positioned candidates in the race.
The presence of multiple candidates means Cape Town voters will encounter a wide range of political programmes during the campaign period.
The issues being raised include municipal finances, housing, transport, safety, infrastructure, economic opportunities and service delivery.
The different parties will ultimately have to present their proposals to voters, who will determine the composition of the next council through the election.
The Role Of Smaller Parties
The Cape Town election also highlights the potential role of smaller political parties in municipal government.
A party does not necessarily have to win the mayoralty to influence the direction of a council.
Representation in the council can affect committee structures, policy debates, oversight and, where no party holds a majority, negotiations over the formation of a governing coalition.
Cape Town's political structure makes the issue particularly relevant because the city has historically had a clear governing majority.
The election will determine whether that pattern continues.
However, it would be premature to determine the eventual composition of the council before voters cast their ballots and the results are officially declared.
The number of parties contesting the city also means that the final distribution of seats will depend on the actual votes received by each party.
Al Jama-ah's Broader Position
Al Jama-ah has historically had a smaller electoral footprint than the country's largest political parties, but it has maintained representation in Cape Town.
The party has described itself as seeking to broaden its appeal beyond a single community and has presented its campaign as one aimed at residents across the city.
Its policy emphasis includes social development, housing, land, municipal services, support for vulnerable households and community safety.
Salie's professional background is being used by the party to reinforce its focus on legal accountability and governance.
The party says her experience in law and public service can contribute to stronger oversight and administration.
Those are political claims made by the party and form part of the campaign that voters will assess alongside the programmes and records of competing parties.
Why Municipal Elections Matter
The November 4 election will determine more than individual councillors.
Municipal councils are responsible for many services that residents encounter every day.
These include water and sanitation functions, waste management, roads, local planning, electricity distribution in municipalities that perform that function, public amenities and various forms of local regulation.
Municipal governments also prepare budgets and determine how available resources are allocated across competing needs.
As a result, local elections can have a direct effect on the quality and availability of services in communities.
The campaign debate over infrastructure is therefore connected to questions about municipal revenue, expenditure, planning and long-term maintenance.
Similarly, debates over housing and land are connected to spatial planning and the expansion of urban services.
Election Rules And The Mayoral Process
The Electoral Commission of South Africa is administering the 2026 local government elections.
The election will take place on 4 November, which has been declared a public holiday.
Political parties and candidates are operating under the Electoral Code of Conduct and the regulations governing the municipal elections.
Once voting is completed and the results are declared, the newly elected council will begin the process of constituting the municipal government.
The executive mayor is elected by the municipal council rather than directly by voters.
This means that mayoral candidates are effectively seeking two levels of political support: electoral support for their party and, where necessary, sufficient support among councillors after the election.
The final governing arrangement will therefore depend on the composition of the council and the political relationships that follow the election.
Campaign Focus On Service Delivery
For Salie, service delivery remains one of the central themes of the campaign.
The issue has traditionally been important in South African local elections because municipal performance is experienced directly by households.
Potholes, sewerage problems, refuse collection, water infrastructure and other municipal services can become highly visible indicators of government performance.
Salie has argued that infrastructure needs to be considered alongside Cape Town's changing population and housing requirements.
The challenge for any incoming administration would be balancing new infrastructure investment with maintenance of existing assets.
That requires long-term budgeting and planning rather than relying solely on short-term interventions.
The Road To November 4
With the election now approaching, political parties are moving deeper into campaign activities across Cape Town and the rest of South Africa.
Candidates are expected to spend the remaining campaign period presenting their policies, meeting communities and seeking support.
For voters, the mayoral contest provides an opportunity to compare the responsibilities of the city government with the promises made by individual parties and candidates.
Salie's campaign has established three central themes — safety, infrastructure and service delivery — while also placing housing, land and support for vulnerable communities among its broader priorities.
Her candidacy adds another voice to a Cape Town election that already includes several parties seeking representation in the metropolitan council.
The outcome will ultimately be determined by voters on 4 November and by the composition of the council that emerges from the election.
Until then, the political contest remains open, with parties continuing to present their programmes and candidates to Cape Town residents.
For Al Jama-ah, the decision to nominate Salie gives the party an experienced municipal politician and lawyer as its leading candidate for the city's executive mayoral position.
Her campaign will now focus on persuading voters that the priorities she has identified — safety, infrastructure and service delivery — should receive greater attention in the next municipal administration.
The election will determine how much representation Al Jama-ah receives and whether its candidates become part of the council's post-election political arrangements.
For Cape Town residents, the broader significance of the contest lies in the choices available on 4 November and in how the elected council ultimately responds to the city's continuing demands for housing, infrastructure, public safety and reliable municipal services.
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