Debate rages over Helen Zille’s potential bid for Joburg Mayor

Social media is divided as the debate over who should be Johannesburg’s next mayor continues.

This comes after Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal Chairperson, Helen Zille, expressed interest in being the party’s candidate for Joburg mayor in next year’s Local Government Elections (LGE).

According to Zille, several party members approached her, urging her to return to frontline politics by contesting for the mayoral seat. Candidates have until 15 June to submit their applications.

She was mayor of Cape Town from 2006 to 2009 and became the premier of the Western Cape from 2009 to 2019.

With South Africans set to head to the polls next year, social media users are invested in the conversation, with many drawing comparisons between Zille and the ANC’s Dada Morero. One of them even launched a poll asking Joburg residents who they would prefer as the city’s first citizen.

Activist and poet, Ntsiki Mazwai, has been among the loudest critics, saying Zille failed the Western Cape and would do no good for South Africa’s economic hub.

She’s described the 4-year-old as worse than President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“She is a white supremacist and if you look at the Western Cape, you see that black people are abused there,” says the poet. “Helen Zille comes from a traumatic past for black people. She can go and retire, she has played her part to make sure that imperialists are eating and not feeding the people of this land, so we don’t want Helen Zille,” she adds.

WE DON’T WANT HELEN ZILLE AS THE MAYOR OF jHB!!!!!!
That would be a huge and scary mistake which would impact the black masses negatively. pic.twitter.com/91jxo1W0uM

— NtsikiMazwaiMedia (@ntsikimazwai) June 9, 2025

“Joburg, as it stands, is crying out for that kind of leadership. If this happens, the ANC will lose Johannesburg for good. And when Joburg goes, so does Gauteng. People are tired,” he adds.

The author believes that Zille offers a real, visible alternative, adding that this might not be the truth that many like to hear.

Helen Zille is considering running for Joburg mayor in 2026 apparently. Let me tell you now, if she does, she will win. And not by accident. Like it or not, she has a proven record of turning a city around. Just look at Cape Town. You can debate her politics all you want, but she…

— Khaya Dlanga (@khayadlanga) June 8, 2025

People’s issue with Helen Zille isn’t that she’s white. It’s that she’s defended apartheid and colonialism

And her political party has ruled over the Western Cape where poor areas have been left to rot and the DA is actively courting more digital nomads who are raising prices… https://t.co/ldPdWGWIW9

— Uppity African 🍉 (@naledimashishi) June 9, 2025

The legacy of Helen Zille in the Western Cape includes a Cape Town for whites and a Cape Town for blacks. pic.twitter.com/0U8oW4k4GK

— Gcobani Ndzongana (@gndzongana) June 9, 2025

The legacy of Helen Zille in the Western Cape includes a Cape Town for whites and a Cape Town for blacks. pic.twitter.com/0U8oW4k4GK

— Gcobani Ndzongana (@gndzongana) June 9, 2025

What exactly did Zille do for residents in khayelitsha or Gugulethu for her to be the best hope for joburg.
One of the most dangerous cities in South Africa and the world is located in the city of cape town.
Helen Zille being the mayor of Jhb would be the worst thing to happen. https://t.co/gASpgSrXtw

— Melanin_Mmaps (@Melanin_Mmaps) June 8, 2025

Bo Khaya Dlanga lost what little relevance they had a very long time ago and now they wana flood us with lengthy posts about Helen Zille being the mayor of Johannesburg coz that plays into a world where they’ve set themselves up as the “special ones”.

— a Nativ (@RoninDexx) June 9, 2025

People’s issue with Helen Zille isn’t that she’s white. It’s that she’s defended apartheid and colonialism

And her political party has ruled over the Western Cape where poor areas have been left to rot and the DA is actively courting more digital nomads who are raising prices… https://t.co/ldPdWGWIW9

— Uppity African 🍉 (@naledimashishi) June 9, 2025

There is nothing special about @helenzille and her governance skills or lack thereof. She is mediocre like the rest of the ANC leaders she likes mocking.

In 2006, when Zille took over as Mayor of Cape Town from Nomaindia Mfeketo (ANC), unemployment rate was 15%.

By the time she… pic.twitter.com/pAOX2ZhNrX

— Sentletse 🇿🇦🇷🇺🇵🇸🇱🇧 (@Sentletse) June 9, 2025