Johannesburg, Africa’s richest city, faces chronic power cuts and water shortages as residents consider handing its government to the pro-business Democratic Alliance (DA). Helen Zille, a former mayor of Cape Town and head of the Western Cape province, is running for mayor in the November race, which could put the DA in charge of South Africa’s economic hub. The city has had seven mayors in the last five years.
Car repair shop owner Rashied Najam said officials repeatedly ignored his requests to fix a nearby leaking sewage plant. Zille visited his shop, listened to his concerns and later held a campaign event there. “Here comes a lady that's my total opposition, Helen Zille, and she meets me and she shakes my hand and hugs me,” Najam said. He said this was the first time he planned not to support the ANC, the party of liberation hero Nelson Mandela. “I love them. But they're disappointing.”
Services and promises
Zille has campaigned to “fix” Johannesburg with viral videos showing her swimming in potholes and paddling down flooded streets. In an interview, she said governing the city would be harder than governing Cape Town. “Just getting functional budgeting and allocation working, getting rid of corruption, and focusing on the basics is going to be the big challenge of Joburg,” she said.
Loyiso Masuku, the ANC’s Johannesburg regional chairperson and one of its potential mayoral candidates, acknowledged the city’s service-delivery problems and blamed them on rapid growth. “We're going to be proactive in terms of how we deal with our infrastructure challenges,” she said. Masuku added that residents like Najam “do deserve better services.”
The city’s problems go beyond failing services. Gangs sometimes seize downtown buildings and charge people to stay there. The base article reports no specific company profits or proposed spending figures; candidates say they’ll focus on city management, infrastructure and basic services.
Race, parties and the city government
The election also tests whether voters in the mostly Black city will cross racial lines three decades after apartheid ended. Critics often accuse the DA of defending white minority interests, a charge the party denies. Political analyst William Gumede said many South Africans “equate the ANC with their Black identity.” He said voters had not yet moved in sufficient numbers “from a voting point of view from the apartheid racial identity barrier... to a new era where they vote based on competition.” Gumede added: “But Johannesburg could actually be where we cross the barrier.”
Jacob Seane, 83, a Soweto resident, said he had voted for the ANC since South Africa’s first multiracial elections in 1994 and would never change. “I think they saw their mistakes and they will fix their mistakes,” he said.
A coalition decision ahead
Zille said internal DA polling showed her leading with about 40% of votes. An Ipsos poll in September put the ANC at 31% and the DA at 28%. No party was expected to win outright, so coalition negotiations will likely determine the city government.
The DA has twice had a mayor in Johannesburg. Winning the city back would boost the party ahead of the 2029 national elections. A Zille victory could also affect national politics. Asked about winning votes across racial lines, she said: “I just hope that when people get into that ballot box ... the tug of the past isn't too strong.”