POLITICS - Joburg residents might want to give the DA another chance, especially with Helen Zille as its mayoral candidate, who they will find tempting, according to experts.

Political economy analyst Daniel Silke said the DA saw the 2026 local government election as a “make-or-break” affair.

By fielding Zille as its candidate, the DA is taking the battle to the ANC because it smells blood, he said.

DA taking the battle to ANC with Zille

Silke said this would be exacerbated by the fact that the ANC is already losing support nationwide, particularly in Gauteng and other key urban municipalities.

“For the ANC to retain its pre-eminent position in South African politics, it has to recoup the lost ground in the big urban centres, particularly Johannesburg, from a numerical and symbolic point of view.

“I think for the ANC really, the battle of Johannesburg may well be a battle for the heart and soul of the ANC,” Silke, said. 

The ANC was fast becoming irrelevant in the urban centres and is only a rural party that remains divided at all levels.

It is losing voters to emerging parties and the DA, while its African voter base has become deeply polarised among the many smaller players.

“This is a battle for the survival of the ANC. If it cannot secure a decent showing in Johannesburg, it will be very difficult for the ANC to perform at the national level.

“I think there is an ANC dilemma here: the DA has put forward their most high profile candidate, showing that the DA smells the blood of the ANC and reacted to that.

“The DA is really taking the battle to the ANC and that is going to be a forerunner to 2029. The DA sees its election for next year as make-or-break,” Silke said.

“If it does not perform well in Johannesburg, its leadership is going to be under severe pressure over the next few years to 2029.”

Zille’s experience an advantage

Independent analyst Goodenough Mashego said the DA’s chances of beating the ANC in the 2026 local government elections, were good.

He said Zille’s clout and her experience of running Cape Town and the Western Cape would come in handy for the veteran politician.

If Zille contests against incumbent ANC mayor Dada Morero she will win, he said.

Mashego said Zille’s experience will give her an advantage over any ANC opponent.

Besides, he said, over the years, the ANC has been haunted by the ghost of the multimillion-rand Alexandra Presidential Urban Renewal Project that failed due to corruption, allegedly by some members of the so-called Alex mafia.

Also, its failure to provide a stable electricity supply to Soweto and its service delivery issues in other areas would sink the party, he said.

“The Alex mafia was a reality. As long as that cabal is still within the ANC, I don’t see how they are going to stop Zille.

“The project was supposed to be a case study for the ANC if it had been implemented.

“But the funds for the project were stolen and the envisaged improvements did not happen, while some politicians became rich at the expense of the poor,” Mashego said.

The DA’s slogan, “Believe in Joburg”, was the key to its campaign, he said.

Article: Caxton publication, The Citizen

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