South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA) has announced former party leader Helen Zille as its candidate for mayor of Johannesburg in next year’s local government elections, as it seeks to reclaim control of the country’s biggest city.
Zille, 74, played a key role in shaping the DA’s electoral strategy in last year’s national election, where the ruling African National Congress (ANC) lost its parliamentary majority for the first time, paving the way for a coalition government with the DA and smaller parties.
By fielding Zille, the DA is banking on her political experience and reputation as a reformer to project stability and competence in Johannesburg, a city plagued by years of unstable leadership marked by frequent resignations, forced exits, and even the deaths of three past mayors while in office.
Party leader John Steenhuisen, speaking at a rally in Soweto, framed the election as a defining choice for residents.
“The next local government election is not DA versus ANC. It is a choice between decay and renewal. Where the DA governs outright, we deliver,” Steenhuisen declared.
Accepting her nomination, Zille pledged to improve water supply, electricity, road maintenance, and waste collection.
“We will not let Joburg’s taps run dry. We won’t accept brokenness as the new normal,” she said. “We will wrestle our city back from a criminal mafia. Every pothole and every broken streetlight represents a failed promise — and I share your frustration.”
Johannesburg has been governed by shifting coalitions in recent years due to the absence of a majority party in the city council. The DA last held the mayoral seat in 2022.
