South Africa’s Democratic Alliance, the opposition party in a fragile coalition with the African National Congress, on Saturday named veteran activist Helen Zille to lead its campaign to take country’s main city Johannesburg from the ANC in elections next year. Local elections scheduled to be held between November 2026 and January 2027 loom as a major test for the ANC that has run the national government since the end of white-rule in the 1990s but which lost its absolute majority in parliament last year.

Zille, 74, who was mayor of Cape Town from 2006 to 2009 and has headed the DA’s federal council since 2019, highlighted Johannesburg’s many social and economic troubles as she accepted being the party candidacy to run the metropolis of nearly five million people.

The ANC started its latest attempt to run the city in August last year.

“Johannesburg is South Africa’s most devastating example of what bad government can do to great people,” she said during a ceremony at the Soweto township.

“I am deeply indebted to the Democratic Alliance for entrusting me with this enormous responsibility. I believe my whole life and every previous job has been preparing me for this.”

Zille highlighted comments by President Cyril Ramaphosa this week when the ANC leader told local representatives from his party that Democratic Alliance councils often performed better than the ANC.

By Agencies