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Johannesburg mayoral candidates make final pitches before elections

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

Helen Zille of the DA, Dada Morero of the ANC, Herman Mashaba of ActionSA and Tlaleng Mofokeng of the EFF set out their plans in radio interviews. Mashaba said ActionSA could not work with the DA while Zille leads it.

Zille said the DA targets an outright majority of 136 seats on the 270-seat council. She said the towns and cities that work best are under DA governance. She also said Cape Town invests R42 billion in extending infrastructure, with 75% earmarked for poorer communities.

Mashaba said ActionSA would work with any party that accepts its three conditions. He said: "If DA wants to really work with ActionSA, they must remove Helen Zille". He also accused Zille of having worked with ANC leaders to remove him from office in his previous term.

Morero, the incumbent mayor, said the ANC believes it will perform better in the election. He said recent water shortages were partly due to supply problems involving Rand Water, because reservoirs were not full. He also said the Metro Centre building failed health and safety standards and is no longer insured because of structural damage.

Mofokeng said Johannesburg needs a radical change in how it is governed. She said the city should negotiate a grant of up to 15% from National Treasury.

Key facts

Who
Helen Zille (Democratic Alliance (DA) mayoral candidate); Dada Morero (African National Congress (ANC) incumbent mayor and mayoral candidate); Herman Mashaba (ActionSA mayoral candidate; former Johannesburg mayor 2016-2019); Tlaleng Mofokeng (Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) mayoral candidate)
What
The four candidates outlined their plans for Johannesburg ahead of the local government elections and revealed potential coalition complications, particularly between the DA and ActionSA. Zille said the DA was targeting an outright majority of 136 seats on the 270-seat council; Mashaba said ActionSA would not work with Zille; Morero said the ANC had not yet chosen its mayoral candidate.
When
30 October 2026
Where
Johannesburg, Cape Town
Status
Reported

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