Helen Zille, the Democratic Alliance's (DA) mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, has promised to restore South Africa’s economic hub to its "former glory" if elected in next year’s local government elections. Zille enters the race as Johannesburg battles severe challenges, including infrastructure decay, broken traffic lights, widespread water problems, and sewage spills.
Aiming for a Stable Government
Zille acknowledged that this is not the first time the DA has attempted to lead Johannesburg, but she stated that whether this bid is different depends entirely on the voters. She stressed the necessity of stability, recalling previous attempts where governing was hampered by the need to "keep on pandering to the EFF" or facing instability where the EFF could "easily unelect our mayoral candidate".
As a self-proclaimed "realist," Zille stated that the goal is not necessarily a clear majority, which is rare under proportional representation voting systems. Instead, she urged voters to make the DA the biggest party by a margin large enough to form a stable government that "can stay the course". She noted that even when the DA achieved an "incredible increase" to 42% in the 2006 Cape Town election, they still needed to put together a seven-party coalition to secure power. Zille affirmed that she would work every day to convince residents that the DA can begin fixing what has been broken over 30 years.
Fixing Joburg: Budget and Corruption
Zille identified the structure of Johannesburg’s budget as a massive challenge. She pointed out that the ratio between operational expenditure and capital expenditure (investment in infrastructure) is "very skewed". Critically, Johannesburg has the lowest investment in basic maintenance of all South African metros, spending only 1% of its budget on maintenance. Zille stated that this figure should be moving toward the 8% recommended by the Treasury.
Her immediate plan includes a line-by-line study of the city's budget. Zille also criticized the "endlessly wasteful" duplication of structures, where the administration has both municipal entities and departments dealing with the same issues. She warned that in Johannesburg, municipal entities have become comparable to "ESCOM and all the other incredibly corrupt state-owned enterprises that have fleeced the public".
The Cape Town Service Delivery Model
Zille frequently referred to Cape Town, where the DA governs, as an example of successful service delivery. She provided a checklist for good local government: having clean running water, properly managed and metered electricity, and regular and reliable refuse removal. She noted that in Cape Town's informal settlements, refuse removal is "double as regular as in the leafy suburbs".
She also addressed claims that service delivery in Cape Town still depends on race and class, calling the criticism "inverted". Zille argued that the poor receive "massive subsidies" and get far more for their money than the rich. Cape Town, she stated, has the most generous package of free basic services to the poor, with the wealthy paying substantial amounts to subsidize them.
Addressing Urbanization and Informal Settlements
Discussing rapid growth and in-migration in Johannesburg, Zille highlighted that South Africa is in the middle of a major wave of primary urbanization, which is an "inevitable and unstoppable process". She predicts that soon, over 70% of all South Africans will be urbanized. People come to urban areas seeking services, a foothold, and eventually a job.
Zille strongly rejected proposals of demolishing settlements by force, stating that "influx control and all the apartheid forced removals" will not work. She insisted that while land invasions cannot be accepted, the best approach is to settle people on land with basic services, grow the economy, and attract investment through corruption-free and stable government.
She clarified that the city does not "gentrify"; rather, people do, moving into areas, fixing up houses, and driving property prices up due to high demand for a corruption-free and stable city.
Decentralizing Policing to Fight Drugs
The discussion turned to the scourge of drug abuse, which Zille said is a major cause of crime and child neglect. She reflected on her time in the Western Cape, noting that 25 outpatient drug rehabilitation centers were started, specifically targeting methamphetamine (known as "tick").
However, Zille believes the core problem is that it is too easy for people to get drugs and too difficult for drug dealers to be caught, voicing her suspicion that "the drug dealers buy off the police".
To solve this, she is strongly pushing for policing to be decentralized from the national level, giving power to metros to run the police. She believes this would allow local government to have "line function over the police" to properly investigate and eradicate corruption. The DA is currently arguing in the Constitutional Court that it is irrational for the national police minister to refuse to devolve policing powers to the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape province.
DA’s Stance on Political Deployment and Gaza
Addressing internal party politics, Zille stated that the DA does not "deploy" people; rather, it advertises positions and candidates go through a rigorous, fair process. She defended the party against accusations of succession failure, pointing to young leaders in their 30s like Chris Papas and Celia Brink. She stressed that the DA is not "agist," allowing young candidates and older candidates (like herself at 74) to compete based on competence and commitment.
On foreign policy, Zille confirmed that the DA supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. The party believes both states have the right to exist in peace and harmony. Zille stated that once both sides recognize the right of the other to exist, "that war and conflict will be over". When asked about findings of genocide in Gaza, Zille said that genocide is "a very big word" and noted the DA has not officially discussed that specific issue.