Key facts
- Helen Zille, a 75-year-old white politician nicknamed 'gogo' (grandmother), is running for mayor of Johannesburg.
- Zille's campaign focuses on improving service delivery and fixing corruption.
- Johannesburg has had seven mayors in the last five years.
- An Ipsos poll in September showed the ANC at 31% and the DA at 28% in Johannesburg.
- The race is seen as a test of whether voter frustration over poor service delivery can outweigh loyalty to the ANC.
- The DA is often accused by critics of defending white minority interests.
Helen Zille, a 75-year-old white politician nicknamed 'gogo', meaning grandmother, is running for mayor of Johannesburg in a high-stakes November race that analysts say could reshape South Africa's politics. Zille, a former mayor of Cape Town and head of the Western Cape province, has campaigned to 'fix' Johannesburg with viral videos showing her interacting with the city's infrastructure problems.
The race will test whether voter frustration over poor service delivery can outweigh loyalty to the African National Congress (ANC), which currently leads a coalition in the city. A victory for Zille's pro-business Democratic Alliance (DA) would give the party control of South Africa's economic hub and could shift the political landscape ahead of national elections in 2029.
Despite being Africa's richest city, Johannesburg faces chronic power cuts and water shortages, and its downtown buildings are sometimes 'hijacked' by gangs. The city has had seven mayors in the last five years. Car repair shop owner Rashied Najam, who was won over by Zille's campaign, expressed his disappointment with the ANC despite his past loyalty. The ANC's Johannesburg regional chairperson, Loyiso Masuku, acknowledged the service delivery problems, attributing them to rapid growth and promising proactive solutions.
Zille acknowledged that governing Johannesburg would be more challenging than Cape Town, citing functional budgeting, corruption, and basic service delivery as key issues. The race also touches on South Africa's deep-seated racial divisions, as the DA is often accused of defending white minority interests, a claim the party denies. Political analyst William Gumede noted that many South Africans still equate the ANC with their Black identity, suggesting Johannesburg could be a place where voters begin to cross racial lines in their voting choices.
Some residents, like Jacob Seane, a Soweto resident who has voted for the ANC since 1994, remain loyal, believing the party will address its mistakes. Internal DA polling suggests Zille is leading with about 40% of votes, while a September Ipsos poll showed the ANC at 31% and the DA at 28%. With no party expected to win outright, coalition negotiations are likely to determine the city's next mayor.