Five ways Helen Zille is planning to fix Joburg
Breakfast with Martin Bester spoke to federal council chairperson of the DA, Helen Zille after it was announced that she will be the party's Johannesburg mayoral candidate.
In September, the Democratic Alliance announced Helen Zille as its mayoral candidate for Johannesburg in the upcoming local government elections.
The party made the announcement in Soweto on Saturday, 20 September.
"And so it is with great pride, and even greater urgency, that I re-introduce to you: a daughter of this city, a leader I believe in, someone we can all believe in — your very own DA mayoral candidate for Johannesburg: Helen Zille," said DA leader John Steenhuisen.
WATCH: DA Federal Council Chairperson Helen Zille is the new Mayoral Candidate for the City of Johannesburg ahead of the 2026 local government elections. #HelenZille #2026Elections pic.twitter.com/FeSckO8i99
— Jacaranda FM Newswatch (@JacaNewswatch) September 20, 2025
Following this announcement, Zille appeared on Breakfast with Martin Bester to talk about her candidacy, her plans for Joburg, and even to test her knowledge of the City of Gold.
How healthy is the coalition?
According to Zille, where the DA is comfortably the largest party, the municipalities are well run and stable. However, where the vote is split among several parties, governance becomes more difficult.
She described Johannesburg as a "marriage of convenience" among parties known for corruption.
Zille referred to comments by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who had previously said his councillors should study how the DA runs metros to learn good governance.
The leader of our opposition party says we govern better.
She added that Ramaphosa has since tried to backpedal on those comments.
"The president was being honest when he said that — but politically, it was a disaster," said Zille.
Ramaphosa has also claimed that the DA spends more money on suburbs than on poorer areas, a statement Zille calls "a lie."
How much trouble is Johannesburg in?
"People get the government they voted for," says Zille.
Zille argues that multi-party coalitions are hurting Johannesburg — something, she says, even the current mayor, DA’s Dada Morero, understands.
She added that it’s difficult to keep a stable government or coalition without a strong base party and reliable smaller partners.
"When there are too many parties on the ballot, votes are split, and no party secures the majority needed to govern effectively. Passing laws then becomes increasingly difficult," Zille said.
According to her, Johannesburg is in "deep, deep trouble."
She highlighted two key problems:
- Financial mismanagement – Joburg has a budget of R89 billion, the largest metro budget in the country. Yet it never balances income and expenditure. Entities such as City Power are meant to be efficient, but they’re instead costing billions and draining public funds.
- Patronage – Joburg has become an employment agency for the ANC.
Politicians are there as a consequence of how people vote.
Despite the challenges, Zille emphasised that there are still beautiful, well-functioning parts of the city. However, she warned that some severely neglected areas could take up to 60 years to fix, starting from 2026.
Helen Zille's five commitments to save Joburg
The mayoral candidate revealed five things she is committed to fixing to ensure Johannesburg's start as a thriving city:
- Water
- Electricity
- Roads and Infrastructure
- By-law Enforcement – "You can't have drug lords and illegal immigrants taking over public spaces; that should be a focus."
- Revitalising Small CBDs – "Smaller business districts should be thriving."
She also spoke about the need to do things differently and to address sabotage within key municipal entities.
Full YouTube interview here:
Helen Zille: No Stranger to Johannesburg
Zille moved to Cape Town at 32, but before that, she spent her life in Johannesburg.
She was educated at St Mary's School, Waverley, and the University of the Witwatersrand, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Watch Breakfast with Martin Bester's fun video of Joburg vs Cape Town with Helen Zille here:
@jacabreakfast Joburg vs Cape Town with @Helen Zille 🤣 #BreakfastWithMartinBester ♬ sonido original - leaderxv
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