That contest is shaping up to be one of the most bitterly fought at the first and second rounds of municipal voting in November and January with a three-way race between Zille the ANC's incumbent Dada Morero – though it is far from certain he will secure the ANC's nomination – and Herman Mashaba a former mayor and the leader of ActionSA which he founded in 2020 after leaving the DA (AC Vol 66 No 19 Parks Tau – Ramaphosa's trade troubleshooter & Vol 60 No 23 The DA's race dilemma)...

Government officials such as Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni International Relations Minister Lamola and Director-General Zane Dangor led several missions to Washington over the past two years to engage the Biden administration amid growing criticism of South Africa's closeness to Russia and China and its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (Dispatches 16/1/24 'Genocide' court case threatens to open new geopolitical divisions)...

The US African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has expired and is unlikely to be renewed despite optimistic remarks by Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau and Ronald Lamola Minister of International Relations and Co-operation (Dispatches 6/10/25 AGOA expiry set to become painful reality & AC Vol 66 No 19 Parks Tau – Ramaphosa's trade troubleshooter)...

A former African National Congress (ANC) Mayor of Johannesburg Parks Tau's career was in jeopardy after losing the mayoralty to the Democratic Alliance's Herman Mashaba in 2016 after just one term: a party stronghold lost and a handsome ANC majority from 2011 wiped out (AC Vol 57 No 17 Zuma carries on regardless)...

Parks Tau has been in talks with China and the European Union for much of this year primarily focusing on green industrialisation and enhancing industrial supply chains...

It coincided with Trade Minister Parks Tau's efforts to renegotiate a 30% tariff imposed on South African exports by United States President Donald Trump's administration (AC Vol 66 No 16 Tariff calamity deepens rift with Washington)...

The Democratic Alliance the African National Congress's main coalition partner has been accused of undermining trade talks through ‘reckless statements' according to Trade Minister Parks Tau...

Others include foreign minister Ronald Lamola Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshaveni Minister of Trade and Industry and Competition Parks Tau and special Ramaphosa's special envoy Mcebisi Jonas...