South African mayoral candidate arrested for drunk driving
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Maverick
Siyanda Mayana, the People’s Power candidate for mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, was arrested in South Africa for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. Released on 1,000 rand bail, he is due to appear in court on 30 April 2027, according to South African police cited by Daily Maverick.
Siyanda Mayana, a candidate for mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay and leader of People’s Power, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol during a road check on Friday evening. South African police confirmed his arrest on the R75 road at around 10.35pm, according to Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg, the police spokesperson.
Mayana was released the following day on 1,000 rand bail and is due to appear in court on 30 April 2027, pending the results of a blood alcohol test. He said he had drunk two bottles of Savanna cider after a day of campaigning, while denying that he had been drunk.
The arrest came on the eve of the 4 November local elections. Mayana is also known for his allegations against Babalwa Lobishe, the mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, over the leasing to a private company of a municipal transformer valued at 25 million rand. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has approached the High Court to ask the municipality to recover from Lobishe and former acting municipal manager Ted Pillay the expenditure deemed irregular in the case.
