LISTEN | 'Helen is formidable, but won't be favoured' - Steenhuisen

DA leader John Steenhiusen says Helen Zille won’t get preferential treatment over other members who’ve applied to be the party’s candidate for Joburg mayor.

This is after Zille reportedly weighed in on the possibility of running for the mayoral position ahead of the 2026 local government elections. 

According to reports, the former DA leader has been urged by party members to consider stepping forward for the position, which Zille is considering. 

“She will not be showin any favouritism over any of the other candidates that have applied and when those interviews take place, all of those candidates will have a fair interview process in terms of going forward,” Steenhuisen said. 

Steenhuisen said Zille has a proven track record of getting things done. 

“There's going to be a process that goes through it, but I think that Helen [Zille] is a formidable candidate. I think that she's been able to turn Cape Town around, she's turned a province around, and I think she's precisely the type of candidate that Joburg needs. 

“If we want to get water back in the taps, sewerage back in the pumps and make sure that people have electricity and service delivery, I think that she has a proven track record of getting things done. I think she's a formidable individual,” he said. 

Speaking to City Press, Zille said the DA stood a real chance of surpassing the ANC as the leading party in Joburg, but transforming the city would not be easy. 

“It will be the toughest challenge of my life, but I will do anything to save the city to which I owe my youth,” Zille told the publication. 

Meanwhile, Joburg Mayor, Dada Morero, laughed at the idea of Zille running the show, this reported by EWN. 

Speaking at a briefing on the Africa Mayors’ Assembly in Tshwane on Monday, Morero said this decision by the DA is only because they are realising the current administration is at work. 

“They’re realising that things are being done, we have a funded budget, your infrastructure plan is in place, you have put money aside for infrastructure refurbishment. They are realising that things are happening,” he said. 

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