Zille not fit to build a just city

Is DA chairperson the answer to turn Johannesburg around?

- Khwezi Mabasa

Not fit to govern: Helen Zille's public disapproval of impactful socio-economic redress interventions illustrate that she is not a suitable Johannesburg mayoral candidate, says the writer. Photo: Supplied

(Supplied)

The Democratic Alliance's (DA) decision to deploy Helen Zille as the party's Johannesburg mayoral candidate for the upcoming local government elections has raised intense public debates.

She has been positioned as the ideal candidate for addressing longstanding governance and socioeconomic challenges in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ).

This candidature is juxtaposed as an alternative to the current CoJ leadership led by the ANC coalition, which, according to some sections of society, has failed citizens.

Several commentators and DA supporters suggest that Zille's leadership will create a more just city.

This assertion is not supported by facts or evidence, for the following reasons.

Firstly, Zille has explicitly called for the removal of racial-redress socioeconomic policies from government public policymaking.