By Nqobile Dludla

Helen Zille, Chairperson of the Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance, addresses supporters at an election rally in Soweto, South Africa May 22, 2024. REUTERS/Ihsaan Haffejee/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 20 (Reuters) – South Africa’s Democratic Alliance said on Saturday former leader Helen Zille would be its next candidate for mayor of Johannesburg, as the party seeks to win back control of the country’s biggest city in next year’s local government election.

The 74-year-old was widely regarded as the main architect of the party’s political strategy in last year’s national election, in which the ruling African National Congress lost its majority for the first time, forcing it to share power with second-placed DA and a host of smaller parties.

With Zille, the DA has chosen a political heavyweight to try to win back South Africa’s commercial capital after a series of mayors in the past decade or so either quit, were forced out or – in the case of three of them – died while holding the post.

By nominating a seasoned political figure, the party aims to project stability and competence, and to replicate the success it has had in governing Cape Town, Johannesburg’s economic rival, often praised for its better service delivery.

“The next local government election is not DA vs ANC. It is a choice between decay and renewal,” DA leader John Steenhuisen told supporters in Soweto township. “Where the DA governs outright, we deliver.”

In her nomination acceptance speech, Zille promised better delivery of water, electricity, road repair and refuse services.

“We will not let Joburg’s taps stay dry. We won’t accept brokenness as the new normal,” she said. “We will wrestle our city back from a criminal mafia. When you drive through those potholed roads, in the darkness, where every broken streetlight represents a failed promise, I share your despair.”

Johannesburg has been governed by a variety of coalitions in recent years as no party holds a majority in the city council. The DA last held the mayoral role in the city in 2022.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Suggested Topics:

Nqobile is a Johannesburg-based reporter covering the South African retail, telecom and tech sectors. She has been a journalists for about 10 years. She joined Reuters in 2015 and has covered a variety of beats ranging from pharma, health to property and banking.

Read Next

A new $100,000 annual fee for H-1B visas in the United States goes into effect on Sunday, but it will not be applied to existing holders of valid visas re-entering the country, a White House official said on Saturday.

Site Index

About Reuters

Stay Informed

Information you can trust

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

Read More