The DA and its Johannesburg mayoral candidate, Helen Zille, are pulling out all the stops to win over voters ahead of this year’s local government elections.
In a bold campaign designed to dramatise service delivery failures, Zille has taken to the streets – rafting through flooded roads, swimming in sinkholes and even playing tennis in overgrown weeds – turning everyday frustrations into a high‑profile political spectacle aimed at making Joburg great again.
Latest antic
The former DA federal council chairperson has continued with her #BelieveInJoburg campaign to highlight the city’s lack of investment in essential infrastructure.
In her latest ploy, Zille appealed to Johannesburg homeowners.
“Sinkhole blocking your driveway? The DA will zipline you out. But we’d rather fix the road infrastructure. Give us the majority in council and WE WILL,” Zille said in a post on X.
Sinkhole blocking your driveway? The DA will zipline you out.🫡
But we’d rather fix the road infrastructure. Give us the majority in council and WE WILL. #BelieveInJoburg #Zille4Mayor pic.twitter.com/8yr5PR1IY9
– Zille for Mayor (@HelenZille4Jozi) April 27, 2026
Momentum for DA
While Zille’s actions may be seen as humorous and a political jab at the ANC over governance failures in the City of Johannesburg, political analyst and North-West University professor Andre Duvenhage said the mayoral candidate’s stunts were generating significant momentum for her party and highlighting the state of affairs in Joburg.
“This is an indication that she’s hitting the media, and we know that Joburg has fundamental infrastructural challenges, and to focus on this as a legacy of the ANC is definitely going to benefit her campaign. I have no doubt about it.
“It’s interesting that the DA and other parties are focusing on basic service delivery. Potholed streets are becoming a symbol of the inability of the ANC to govern and to deliver services in a proper way,” Duvenhage said.
Mayoral campaign
Duvenhage added that while Zille hopes her stunts will propel her to the Johannesburg mayoralty, they are only part of her campaign.
“I will compare it to cards, and you have a certain hand to play. She doesn’t have all the cards. But what she has is enough to probably give her a position if, and this is a very important if, if the ANC is performing like some analysts are predicting they will perform close to 20%,” Duvenhage said.
“But if that type of scenario is playing out, I would say anything below 30% will strengthen her hand, but then again, there’s another hand that may be played, and that is a possible alliance between the ANC, the EFF, the MK party and the IFP, that can sideline the party, even if the DA gets the majority support,” said Duvenhage.
Promises
In February, Zille accused the ANC of “running Joburg like a party that knows the future is somebody else’s problem”.
Zille outlined five priorities, which she said the DA will “achieve in five years”, including providing reliable water and electricity, repairing roads and potholes, creating jobs, maintaining law and order and hiring professionals to run the city.
