Helen Zille for Joburg mayor? Prince Mashele makes bold call
· The South African
Political analyst Prince Mashele has backed Helen Zille to become Johannesburg’s next mayor and believes Deputy President Paul Mashatile is leading the race to succeed Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president.
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Mashele’s comments come as parties gear up for the 2026 local government elections, with Johannesburg set to be one of the biggest prizes.
Zille is the Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for the city, where years of political instability have coincided with growing frustration over water outages, electricity problems, deteriorating roads and other service delivery failures.
Mashele backs Zille for Johannesburg
Mashele first publicly backed Zille in July 2025, before the DA officially named her as its candidate.
He said his support was about who he believed could run Johannesburg, rather than support for the DA itself.
Zille brings years of experience in government. She served as Cape Town mayor from 2006 to 2009 and Western Cape premier from 2009 to 2019.
She now faces the task of convincing Johannesburg voters that she can turn around a city battling ageing infrastructure, financial pressure and unstable coalition politics.
The race will also test whether the DA can grow its support in a metro where no party secured an outright majority in the 2021 local government elections.
Her bid comes as Johannesburg battles ageing infrastructure, financial pressure and years of unstable coalition politics.
Not everyone is convinced Zille can take the city. PA leader Gayton McKenzie recently said she would “never” become Johannesburg mayor and ruled out working with the DA after the 4 November elections.
Mashele, however, believes Zille is the right person for the job.
Mashatile has the edge, says Mashele
Mashele also sees Mashatile as the man to beat in the ANC’s succession battle.
Ramaphosa’s second term as ANC president ends at the party’s next national elective conference in 2027, opening the way for a new leader.
Mashatile already sits at the centre of the contest as ANC deputy president.
Mashele believes his position gives him an advantage over other names being discussed for the party’s top job.
But he also expects a Mashatile-led ANC to pose problems for some of the party’s partners in the Government of National Unity (GNU).
The ANC and DA have worked together nationally since the 2024 elections, despite deep differences on several policy issues.
Mashele believes those differences could become harder to manage if Mashatile takes over from Ramaphosa.
The ANC succession race still has more than a year to run, and the balance of power could shift before delegates vote in 2027.
For now, Mashele sees Mashatile out in front — while backing Zille in another political contest that could reshape Johannesburg in 2026.