Ahead of Municipal Elections
CCN News Reporting
Saldanha Bay:- The Patriotic Alliance (PA)’s announced mayoral candidate for Saldanha Bay in the upcoming 2025/26 municipal elections, Chantell Tejada, recently returned from an official visit to Israel as part of a PA delegation.
According to Saldanha Nuus, Tejada was among a group of 22 members who visited Israel at the instruction of party leader Gayton McKenzie. The visit, which took place towards the end of May, was aimed at understanding how Israeli security systems and governance models could be applied in South African municipalities.
Tejada, accompanied by her husband, Pastor Francisco Tejada, was part of the delegation that included several senior figures from the PA and its coalition partners. Among them were PA parliamentary representative Ashley Sauls, Al Jama-ah party leader Ganief Hendricks, and other political representatives from the Western Cape.
The delegation’s visit came amid ongoing tensions in Gaza and heightened international focus on the region. Locally, their visit follows the PA’s continued growth in South African politics, with the party having secured representation in various municipalities across the country, particularly following the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Despite the political sensitivity surrounding Israel, Tejada has remained focused on her mayoral campaign for Saldanha Bay, with supporters stating that her international exposure reflects the PA’s ambition to implement global best practices at a local level.
Tejada has yet to officially comment on the visit but is expected to elaborate on how the experience may influence her plans for Saldanha Bay in the weeks leading up to the election.
