Zille goes all in for Joburg top job

The Democratic Alliance federal chair declined to commit to a time frame within which she planned to fix the city's problems if elected mayor

- Lunga Mzangwe

Democratic Alliance (DA) Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille, buoyed by internal polls showing she is the best candidate for the job, has said she won't run for any other position at the party’s elective congress next year, suggesting she is confident of winning a mandate to fix the troubled metro.

The DA federal chair was this week on a charm offensive in Johannesburg after her announcement last week as the party’s candidate for mayor of South Africa’s economic hub. She has promised to fix the city’s service delivery problems, including the water crisis that has seen some suburbs run dry for weeks on end.

"I am going to contest no position in the [DA] congress [next year]. I am not standing for any leadership position in the party," she told the Mail & Guardian on Wednesday.

It’s not yet clear who Zille will run against in the battle for Joburg, with only the Patriotic Alliance announcing Kenny Kunene as its mayoral candidate. The ANC, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party and Action SA have yet to decide on their candidates.

Zille’s candidature is seen as strategic by some DA members who believe she will bring the party more votes in Johannesburg in next year’s local government elections, based on the internal polling.

Asked whether she would be comfortable being only a councillor of the DA in the city of Johannesburg, if her mayoral bid fails, Zille responded: "We'll see when we get there."

She said her reason for contesting in the city was because of her desire for “a wonderful country” not only for her own grandchildren but for all South Africans.