In the DA, upward mobility is conditional

THE recent news that Helen Zille, the Democratic Alliance's (DA) federal chairperson, will be running for mayor of Johannesburg in the 2026 local elections is sending shockwaves through both the party and the broader political landscape.

- SIFISO MAHLANGU

Whether Zille will actually make it is debatable; but the mere suggestion has already reignited long-standing questions about the DA’s internal politics, its commitment to transformation, and its approach to leadership in diverse, urban constituencies like Johanndeesburg.

At the heart of the controversy lies an uncomfortable truth: the persistent tension around race and trust in black leadership within the DA.

Over the years, the party has struggled to shed its image as a white-dominated institution, despite sincere attempts at diversification.

Figures such as Mmusi Maimane and Solly Msimanga have embodied a more inclusive DA, often reaching communities historically alienated from the party’s liberal-centrist brand. But each time the DA makes progress in this direction, it appears to recoil — through resignations, internal purges, or the reassertion of its traditional power structures.

The rumours of Zille’s potential candidacy bring this dynamic into sharp relief.

If the DA is truly committed to building a party that reflects South Africa’s demographics and embraces a new generation of leadership, why would it even entertain the idea of recycling a former leader — a 74 year old white woman from the Western Cape whose public statements have drawn fire for defending colonialism and showing tone-deafness on race?

Johannesburg is no ordinary metro. It is the country’s economic engine, its most populous and racially diverse city, and one of the toughest political battlegrounds in South Africa.