Zille vows to return Joburg to former glory as DA launches election manifesto
Updated Aug. 8, 2026, 3:40 p.m. | By Cliff Shiko The Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Helen Zille, vowed on Saturday to return the…
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Updated Aug. 8, 2026, 3:40 p.m. | By Cliff Shiko
The Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Helen Zille, vowed on Saturday to return the city to its former glory at the launch of the party’s election manifesto.
ille vows to return Joburg to former glory as DA launches election manifesto
The party unveiled its promises ahead of the local government elections, which are due to be held on 4 November.
The country’s economic hub has been battling poor and non-existent service delivery, including frequent water cuts and power outages due to cable theft and deteriorating infrastructure.
Zille addressed thousands of DA supporters, who were dressed in party regalia, at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown.
She outlined key priorities in the party’s manifesto, including appointing people with integrity and the necessary skills to critical positions, protecting water and electricity revenue, restoring basic services, and replacing ageing infrastructure.
Zille said a DA-led government would build a modern and responsive city government.
“Residents must be able to report a fault, track it and know when it will be fixed. We will use modern technology and real-time data to manage performance,” she said.
Zille also vowed to restore law and order in Johannesburg by clamping down on crime should she be elected mayor.
“We will not hold back. If you are part of a criminal syndicate operating in the City of Johannesburg, let me give you some advice: Run!” she said.
“This is not going to be another caretaker government. In fact, it is going to be no ordinary government at all. It will be a fighting government.”
Zille said the DA would take the fight to criminal syndicates that steal cables and destroy infrastructure across the city.
“Those who profit from Johannesburg’s collapse will resist us. But we will not be intimidated,” she said.
The DA's Tshwane mayoral candidate, Cilliers Brink, also outlined his plans, saying that if he returned to the mayor’s office, he would fire all corrupt officials.
“We have learnt from our successes, but we have also learnt from our failures. We have a worked-out plan for government, and we know exactly what we will do with power.
“Our number one pledge is to fire corrupt officials and tenderpreneurs and replace them with honest, hardworking professionals,” said Brink.
Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, who is the DA’s mayoral candidate in Ekurhuleni, told supporters that, upon taking office, one of her priorities would be to restore professionalism to the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD).
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has uncovered allegations of severe corruption within the EMPD, leading to the arrest of suspended deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi and senior city officials over alleged misconduct and its cover-up.
Evidence presented to the commission revealed that Mkhwanazi had allegedly irregularly outfitted private vehicles with police equipment.
“We’ll support honest officers, remove corrup…