Eusebius McKaiser invited TimesLIVE editor Makhudu Sefara to discuss a TimesLIVE editorial that caught the podcast host’s attention. Sefara explains the editorial’s logic in support of the view that the politics playing out in Gauteng metros show political parties only care about power play and careerism, rather than about residents of the municipalities. The mayoral battles in Ekurhuleni in recent weeks are the main example discussed by Sefara and McKaiser. The editor argues that the DA’s Tania Campbell “is an accidental mayor” in the sense that her position is the result of the ANC and EFF being unable to resolve their political differences about how to dislodge the DA in Gauteng municipalities. The implication for residents, and voters, is that responsive government is deprioritised while careerism and horse-trading take centre stage. The rest of the episode explores the wider political ramifications of these dynamics.