**Princess Faku leads trader pricing as the incumbent ANC mayor and Dr WB Rubusana regional chairperson who tops the party’s proportional representation list for the November 4 local government elections.** The ANC currently holds an outright council majority in Buffalo City and is expected to retain control, allowing it to select the executive mayor after the vote. Internal ANC shortlists have included Faku alongside Ncedo Kumbaca, Yomelela Tyali, Simphiwe Dzengwa and Nocawe Mafu, but Faku’s unopposed re-election as regional chair in late 2025 and her position at the head of the PR list have strengthened her standing. Opposition candidates such as UDM’s Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, EFF’s Mkhululi Dlevu and others trail because the ANC remains the dominant force despite reported internal factional tensions and service-delivery pressures. Traders appear to price in the party’s structural advantage and Faku’s institutional backing heading into the final weeks of the campaign.