‘We’ll work night and day to give Joburg a new lease of life’

DA veteran Helen Zille concluded her campaign to be mayor of Johannesburg in style yesterday, arriving at the party’s final election rally in a flashy vehicle mostly associated with streetwise drivers with a penchant for high speed.

It was an unconventional conclusion to a high-stakes experiment that began in September 2025 and has stunned Johannesburg residents with its campaign theatrics.

From snorkelling in water-filled potholes in Douglasdale to rowing a dinghy down flooded streets in Soweto, quad biking on gravel in the inner city and ziplining over an unfinished bridge, 75-year-old Zille has stopped at nothing to announce her ambitions to lead Joburg.

While some have found humour in how she has been able to expose infrastructure collapses and service delivery shortfalls, she has been criticised by some as appearing to mock the daily suffering of residents.

But in an interview this week, Zille defended her reliance on a digital-first campaign, saying it was deliberate.

“We decided that we would first start by highlighting the problems, and secondly highlight how we will solve the problems and also just connect with Joburgers in the different ways that there are,” she said.

While many have acknowledged the weight of a leader like Zille contesting the city, many have questioned her candidacy because of her age, the city she was moving back from, her previous utterances on national and international issues, as well as the intent behind her standing.

“We will inherit a city in deep trouble,” Zille said. “There will be setbacks and difficult decisions. Those who benefit from corruption will be determined to stop us. But we know what must be done. We have the plan, we have the people and we have the experience.”

Launching their “Now or Never” final campaign rally at Nasrec yesterday, the DA sought to present the choices for the city’s voters as being between “the bad guys”, who have run the city down over the years, and the DA, which will presumably save it.

“Joburg can continue in one of two directions of travel — it can keep on going towards complete decline and failure or it can turn the corner and start moving towards success,” said Zille. “The time to turn that corner is now or never.”

For Zille, who led Cape Town as mayor before becoming Western Cape premier, her return to Johannesburg represents her political parting shot.

Joburg can continue in one of two directions of travel — it can keep on going towards complete decline and failure, or it can turn the corner and start moving towards success

“When I put my hand up, I did so because I wanted one big final political project in my life to do. I thought: what’s the biggest challenge I can do? And I thought Joburg.”

According to the DA’s calculations, should 490,000 voters come out and vote for both the ward and proportional representative ballots, Zille will secure the 50% plus one majority to get over the line.