Cape Town – DA leader John Steenhuisen says he won’t influence whether Helen Zille becomes the party’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate, as a selection panel will decide.
Although Zille’s possible candidacy is stirring debate, she must compete like any other hopeful.
“The party can’t endorse any candidate until the process is completed. There is a fair and open process. There are three candidates, as far as I’m aware. That selection panel will sit in due course. The candidates will be interviewed. They will have to do a presentation on their plan to turn Joburg around. They’ll have to go through a number of questions that they will have to answer,” EWN quoted Steenhuisen as saying.
Encouraged by DA members to run for mayor of Johannesburg in the 2026 local elections, Zille recently said she would first consult her family before deciding, City Press reported.
“A lot of my family used to live in Johannesburg, my sister still does live in Johannesburg, and I love Johannesburg. I grew up there, and I worked there. I was in fact born in Hillbrow,” the former mayor of the City of Cape Town said during the interview with Newzroom Afrika.
DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille says she’s been approached to run for Johannesburg mayor in the 2026 local government elections. Zille has not confirmed her candidacy but says cleaning up
Johannesburg is a shared responsibility between residents and officials.… pic.twitter.com/KlalgkFTfZ— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) June 9, 2025
“So I have got very deep roots and unfinished business in Johannesburg. So from that point of view, I would be keen to roll up my sleeves and try and get things done there.
“On the other hand, there are many candidates who feel exactly the same about Johannesburg, who all have their plans, who are all going to be rolling up their sleeves and want to get things done. And so the DA is not short of talent, we’ve got a lot of talent, and a lot of that talent has probably applied to be the mayor of Johannesburg – I don’t know and I would encourage anyone else who wants to do it, to do so before Friday,” she said.
Zille believes the DA could overtake the ANC in Johannesburg, despite the city’s severe infrastructure issues, and acknowledges that becoming mayor would be the biggest challenge of her life.
DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille says she’s been approached to run for Johannesburg mayor in the 2026 local government elections. Zille has not confirmed her decision but acknowledges discussions are underway. #Newzroom405
Watch: https://t.co/8n57XVieOU pic.twitter.com/eBOPM7AorL
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) June 9, 2025
“It will be the toughest challenge of my life, but I will do anything to save the city to which I owe my youth,” she was quoted as saying.
Zille has long advocated for DA control over key Gauteng metros, saing that local governments are crucial to economic influence, the report said.
DA has already announced its Nelson Mandela Bay candidate and will soon announce others as it prepares for the local government elections, aiming to win key metros like Johannesburg and Tshwane.
Steenhuisen believes the DA’s role in the Government of National Unity has boosted its image.
He has not yet decided if he will seek re-election as party leader in April.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, X and Instagram
Picture: X/@Our_DA
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
