Last updated on 2025-09-21
SOWETO – Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen named Helen Zille as Johannesburg mayoral candidate on Saturday, framing the 2026 local elections as a decisive battle against municipal decay during a rally at historic Eyethu Cinema in Mofolo South, Soweto now redeveloped into a multi-use entertainment complex featuring a conference hall and shopping mall.
Steenhuisen framed the 2026 local elections as a choice between continued infrastructure collapse under ANC-aligned coalitions or DA-led service delivery, citing Cape Town post-2006 turnaround as proof of concept.
He accused ANC cadre deployment and corruption syndicates of crippling Johannesburg’s R83 billion budget, with 40 of 80 water reservoirs now failing and nearly half the city’s supply lost to leaks.
The DA leader invoked Soweto entrepreneur Ephraim Tshabalala 20-century community investments as a model for renewal, contrasting it with current residents queueing for water amid chronic power cuts and billing chaos.
He urged voters to consolidate support behind the DA, warning smaller parties risked becoming coalition pawns unable to dismantle corruption networks like the water tanker mafia.
Steenhuisen highlighted Auditor-General reports ranking DA municipalities top for financial management, a claim he noted ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa had tacitly endorsed.
The speech concluded with Zille’s introduction as the candidate to restore basic services, referencing her prior governance record without detailing new policies.
Zille, a former Cape Town mayor, pledged to prioritize service delivery, stating on social media platform X: “Joburg people will never give up on me, and I am one of them. We will not let taps stay dry. We will wrestle Jozi back from a criminal mafia.”
Polls Suggest ANC Support plummeting below 30% and DA Gains ground in key metros
The city last had a DA mayor in 2019 through a fragile multiparty pact that collapsed within months.
Discover more from Lephalale Express
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Be First to Comment