WATCH | DA names Helen Zille as its choice for Joburg mayor

DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille has been named as the party’s candidate for the City of Johannesburg.

Simon Sonnekus/News24

Helen Zille has been announced as the DA mayoral candidate for Johannesburg,with her acceptance speech delivered in Soweto.Zille mentioned President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent praise of DA-controlled municipalities.DA leader John Steenhuisen highlighted the DA’s success in Cape Town.

DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille is the DA’s mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg,the party announced on Saturday.

In her acceptance speech at Soweto’s Eyethu Mall,Zille said it was a privilege to accept the nomination.

“I acknowledge with respect all the other candidates who gave me stiff competition for this honour,” she added.

Zille said the city of Johannesburg,where she had grown up,now symbolised the burden that bad government placed on great people.

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“But the good news is that in a democracy,the people have more power than their government,if they will only use it. They can vote for change,” she added.

“They can evict a bad government and demand better. The greatest risk facing Joburg is that her people resign themselves to the path of failure,and give up on her promise.”

The DA would not give up,she continued.

“We can still change course. There is a better way.”

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Zille called on those who didn’t believe her to “just ask the president”.

“With perfect timing,President [Cyril] Ramaphosa this week showed the boldness we’ve all been waiting for. There is no braver act for a political leader than endorsing his main political opponent. Make no mistake,that is exactly what the president did. He told South Africa that the DA’s political offer is better than the ANC’s.”

DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille is the DA’s mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg,the party announced on Saturday.

Simon Sonnekus/News24

Quoting Ramaphosa,she continued: “‘Those municipalities that do best are not ANC-controlled municipalities... they are often DA-controlled municipalities. We need to ask ourselves,what is it that they are doing that is better than what we are doing?’”

She was referring to Ramaphosa’s statements at the ANC’s roll call for councillors event in Soweto on Monday.

“Your voters will bring the DA government here,so that you can see it first-hand,” Zille added.

“For cities to flourish,a few basics must be in place: Elected representatives must be driven by a desire to serve and improve their communities. They must not use their positions to steal from the people they are supposed to serve.”

The crowd at Soweto’s Eyethu Mall ahead of the announcement of the DA's mayoral candidate for Johannesburg.

Simon Sonnekus/News24

Kicking off the DA’s campaign for Johannesburg,Zille said: “The City administration must be staffed with skilled,ethical,and capable professionals. These officials must be appointed for what they know,rather than who they know or are related to. They must be rewarded for excellence and held accountable for failure.”

She added that local government wasn’t about ideology and grand ideals.

“It is about grand responsibility. It is the frontline of service delivery. The only job of local government is to deliver quality basic services. Water. Sewage. Refuse removal. Roads. Traffic lights. Electricity.

“In a local government election,the only question voters should ask is: who will do this job best? And the president has given you a hint.”

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Helen Zille for Mayor of Joburg 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/QoONYAe3cJ

— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) September 20,2025

DA leader John Steenhuisen introduced Zille as the party’s mayoral candidate for Joburg with pride and “even greater urgency”.

He said that when the DA had taken over Cape Town in 2006,the city was going down.

“Services were collapsing,corruption was taking over and the poor were paying the highest price. But with strong leadership,we stabilised the finances,cut unnecessary debt,and channeled funding into critical services like policing,firefighting and nursing,” he added.

“We went from spending only 60% of the budget to 96%,tripling maintenance and spending on what mattered: roads,street lights,pipes,clinics,hospitals and schools.”

Steenhuisen said the lesson was simple: “When honest leadership meets capable government,even the biggest problems can be overcome. This,too,can,and must,happen for Johannesburg.”

READ | WRAP: Helen Zille is DA’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate

Gauteng DA leader Solly Msimanga said the party’s polling was positive for the province’s metros.

He said the DA was polling ahead of the ANC in the metros of Tshwane,Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg.

“This blue army is ready to sweep across every ward in this city,to every voting district,to every community,to every hall,and to every corner of Johannesburg,with one mission,one mission alone: to win Johannesburg for the DA,” Msimanga said.