Helen Zille's strategic move for Johannesburg mayor

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Helen Zille has until 15 June 2025 to submit her name for the DA’s Johannesburg mayoral candidacy. Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng chair Solly Msimanga confirmed the cut-off and said no late entries will be accepted.

Zille informed BusinessTech that she is “moving in that direction,” but she has not yet made a decision.

She stressed how important it is to resolve the problems with governance in Johannesburg, which she calls “very broken” on SABC NEWS.

JOHANNESBURG FINANCIAL CRISIS AND BACKLOG IN INFRASTRUCTURE

The mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, said that the city’s infrastructure needs R200 billion more than it has. The city’s yearly operating budget is R86 billion.

Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku, the Democratic Alliance (DA)’s Johannesburg caucus leader, spoke out against the city’s budget, saying that water and electricity services were not getting enough funding due to the backlog.

Helen Zille stressed the need to stabilise the city’s finances to keep the economy from collapsing.

HELEN ZILLE’S CHALLENGES IN JOHANNESBURG

Since the 2021 local government elections, the African National Congress (ANC) has had more seats on the council in Johannesburg than the DA.

Political analyst Professor Theo Neethling asserts that a high degree of political turbulence characterises Johannesburg’s coalitions.

Herman Mashaba, the leader of ActionSA, said on eNCA that Zille’s candidature shows that the party doesn’t trust Black leaders.

Sasabona Manganye, the secretary of the African National Congress (ANC) in Johannesburg, says that the Democratic Alliance (DA) is to blame for the city’s financial challenges.

Zille said that her opponents would use race politics to stop her. But she plans to focus on poverty instead of division.

DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE CHALLENGES TO BEAT THE ODDS

All parties agree that Joburg has serious structural problems. Zille has a lot of experience in the metro, but she needs to get coalition partners and the city’s trust.

Analysts believe that a new mayor would need to be politically smart and have the power to make changes.

If she meets the 15 June deadline, her candidacy could change the Democratic Alliance (DA)’s position in Johannesburg.