Zille steps back from DA leadership to chase Joburg mayor role

By Palesa Matlala

• Helen Zille says she will not return to the Democratic Alliance leadership, saying the party is stable and performing strongly after her time in charge.
• Zille is focusing on her Johannesburg mayor campaign and wants to stay out of council for now to connect directly with voters.

Geordin Hill-Lewis has been elected as the Democratic Alliance federal leader at the party’s congress, held at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, on Sunday, 12 April 2026.

Former Democratic Alliance federal council chairperson Helen Zille says she will not return to the party’s top leadership after this year’s elective congress.

Zille has faced criticism from some who say she holds too much power in the party. Some have even called her the driving force behind the Democratic Alliance, confirming that she is steeping away from leadership roles.

“I have done my job the DA is stabilised again, it is on firm foundations, it is growing again, the blue machine works, the blue machine is oiled and geared and it is running at top peak performance,” she said.

Zille said her focus is now on her campaign to become mayor of Johannesburg.

There has been pressure for her to first become a councillor in the city. But she said she wants to remain on the campaign trail for now.

“At the moment I really like being out there campaigning I do not want any constraints of all of the rules that come with being in council,” she said.

She said council rules could limit how she connects with people.

“So I want to be sure that I can be out there seeing people, connecting with people, listening to their issues, so that when I do get into council, I know enough about where the real people are in Johannesburg,” she said.

The 75 year old said if she becomes mayor, she plans to serve a full five year term.

“I will finish my term if I am blessed with the good health that I have got now and if I am blessed with the energy that I have got now I will finish my term,” she said.

Zille said she has felt support from people of different races and backgrounds during her campaign. She said she has also received strong support in poorer communities.

“I totally believe in connecting with every person. I will always judge a person by their character, by their integrity, by their humanity… it is wonderful that I am finding those connections everywhere,” she said.

She said the Democratic Alliance is united across racial lines despite criticism.

“Our opponents have got nothing else to say about us. The ANC cannot point to a single thing that they have tried to achieve where they have succeeded,” she said.

“But I am sick of this characterisation of South Africans, we are the blue people, whatever we look like outwardly, we are internally blue because we share a set of values,” she said.

Pictured above: Geordin Hill-Lewis

Image source: Supplied