Johannesburg mayoral candidate Zille rules out coalition with EFF and MK
Democratic Alliance (DA) candidate for mayor of Johannesburg Helen Zille said her party would not form a coalition with the EFF and the MK party after South Africa’s local elections scheduled for November 4. During a discussion in Cape Town, she stressed that the DA aims to win an outright majority in the Johannesburg city council, Daily Maverick reports.
Refusal to form a coalition
Zille explained the refusal to cooperate with the EFF and MK by citing fundamental ideological differences. According to her, it is impossible to govern the city together with political forces that do not share the DA’s values. At the same time, she noted that the party may consider cooperation with other forces depending on the voting results.
The candidate believes that a coalition with small parties could give them disproportionately large influence over important decisions, including those concerning the budget, appointments of officials and the reorganization of municipal structures. According to her, effective governance of Johannesburg requires a substantial majority in the council.
Target of 490,000 votes
Zille named 490,000 voters as the DA’s benchmark; they must be registered and vote for the party on both ballots. In the 2021 local elections, the DA won 482,653 votes and 71 of 270 seats in the Johannesburg city council. The African National Congress remained the largest party at the time, receiving 620,289 votes and 91 seats.
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Polls on the upcoming elections have produced different results. A Social Research Foundation survey conducted in July gave the DA 42% and the African National Congress 18%. At the same time, the latest Ipsos Pulse of the People poll showed a narrow lead for the African National Congress, 31% versus 27% for the DA.
City’s financial problems
Zille also named the failure of DA supporters to turn out as one of the main risks for the campaign. She linked this to the fact that some wealthier residents use private alternatives to municipal services, including solar energy, boreholes and delivery services.
According to data cited by the publication, the amount of unpaid customer bills in Johannesburg rose from about 15 billion rand in the 2014/15 financial year to nearly 72 billion rand in 2024/25. At the same time, real investment in infrastructure fell by approximately half over this period.
