ActionSA Unveils Xolani Khulamo as Ekhuruleni Mayoral Candidate
ActionSA party leader Herman Mashaba pulled out his trump card on Saturday (October 4) and announced TV personality and crime buster Xolani Khumalo as the party’s mayoral candidate for Ekhuruleni.
The unexpected announcement has come as a shock, with many wondering if his involvement would cause him to deviate from his reputation of unapologetically fighting for the ordinary South African.
The announcement, which was made at a press briefing held in Thembisa (north of Ekurhuleni), marks the start of a new career in politics for one of South Africa’s most loved TV presenters.
The residents of Ekhuruleni showed up in their numbers at the Dominion Life Cathedral with the hope that the proposed mayor may hold the answers to the people’s problems in the upcoming local government elections, set to take place in late November 2026.
ActionSA party leader Herman Mashaba berated the current municipality for failing the people and said the community of Ekhuruleni had been betrayed by politicians who failed to provide basic service delivery.
During his address at the event, Mashaba, who was visibly in good spirits, celebrated the arrival of Khumalo into the ActionSA family.
“Ekhuruleni, your time has come!” he said. “Today I present to you a leader who will fight for you. A man of the people, a leader who has walked the streets with you, who has fought crime with you, who will now take the fight into the halls of power. A leader who will end corruption in our city. A leader who will restore dignity to the forgotten communities in our city. Someone who will deliver services for all residents of Ekhuruleni. Someone who will give Ekhuruleni the fresh start it deserves. A leader who will fix the city.”
The elation and excitement in the air was palpable as crowds screamed for Khumalo when he took the stage to address them. He wasted no time in calling out the country’s politicians for being in co-hoots. “We must clean out the corrupt criminals who dare to call themselves public servants.
With that vote (the Herman Mashaba spoke about), we will remove those that failed us.” He spoke of how filming his Moja Love TV reality show Sizok’thola, catching drug dealers at 2am in the morning, has shown everyone that he is up to the task and not afraid of hard work or dangerous criminals.
When explaining why he decided to join the race to run the city, Khumalo said, “It’s unfair for us as citizens of Ekhuruleni to be treated as step-children of this place. We were born here and this is our home.” He declared to the jubilant crowd whose cheers filled the cathedral: “So fellow residents, this fight must be backed by a credible plan. One that works, no empty promises. We need a plan that works, a plan that will fix this city.”
The aspiring mayor promised citizens that lifestyle audits would be done on all public officials. He also assured Ekhuruleni residents that all contracts for tenders will be reviewed and all corrupt ones cancelled.
When it comes to the issue of health care, Khumalo has promised quality health care for all residents of Ekhuruleni. Under his tenure, Khumalo has assured the masses of clinics’ operating hours being extended, medicine being properly stocked and general service in public health care facilities improved.
He vowed to eradicate all corruption in the public health system that sees criminals “funding their lifestyles” intended for improved services at public hospitals and clinics.
Public transport upgrades were among the many things promised by Khumalo, who made it clear that “Leadership is not about power, but about service. This fight is not about politics. It’s about our dignity and our future. We will not allow failed politicians to destroy our communities any longer.”
Khumalo added how he has been approached by people who were attempting to ‘capture’ him. He scoffed at how no one could bribe him because he fights crime as it is his passion.
“When you fight crime, people try to offer you stupid things. They don’t know that when you are passionate about something you can’t be bought.”
The news on Khumalo comes hot on the heels of last week Saturday’s address by Khumalo to members of the Gauteng Anti-Crime Unit in Ratanda.
Known to his crime-fighting comrades as Supreme Commander X, Khumalo warned criminals that their reign of terror over South Africans was over.
The controversial TV host, who has previously been accused of having his own personal army, warned all crime units to avoid using excessive force when conducting their raids.
Although his raids and arrests have been labeled dangerous and xenophobic by some, this has not stopped him and Khumalo remains undeterred in his mission to end crime in South Africa.
“What we will do in Ekhuruleni is a pilot. We will show the country how a city can be well managed, safe and growing economically,” he said just a week before the candidacy announcement. “For a long time we have been knocking on doors that are not opening. What I am going to do here is so that we can work.”
Khumalo went on to explain that if he is able to have political influence the collective body of the Gauteng Anti-Crime Unit will be in a better position to fight crime. By so doing, “we can spread our methods to other provinces to eventually eliminate crime all over South Africa.”
