THE GATHERING 2026: Zille draws coalition red lines as DA targets Joburg majority
Helen Zille has ruled out coalitions with the EFF and MK party, arguing that ideological differences could undermine effective government as she campaigns for the outright majority she says the party needs to ‘rescue the city’.
Helen Zille, the DA’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate, has set firm boundaries for potential coalition partners, explicitly ruling out working with the EFF and uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party. Zille argued that ideological differences between her party and these potential allies could impede effective government, making it difficult to govern Johannesburg effectively. She emphasized that the DA is solely focused on securing an outright majority in the upcoming elections to exercise full control over crucial decisions.
Facing a financial and service delivery crisis, Johannesburg has been grappling with mounting municipal debt, crumbling infrastructure, and dwindling revenue. Zille emphasized that having a majority in council is essential to pass budgets, appoint officials, and restructure municipal entities without being reliant on small parties for support. She cautioned against granting veto power to such parties, as it would be undemocratic and detrimental to governance.
Polling in Johannesburg has been inconsistent, with the DA currently leading the DA by 42% in a Social Research Foundation survey, while the ANC and the DA are nearly tied in an Ipsos Pulse of the People poll. Despite this uncertainty, Zille remains confident that the DA is the leading party and is targeting to secure 490,000 votes – a figure that would give the DA political power without needing coalition partners.
Zille’s stance reflects the broader political landscape, where the decline of the ANC’s dominance has created an environment ripe for new political forces, defections, abstention, and smaller parties. While acknowledging the growing influence of parties like MK and the DA, Zille warned against the dangers of a coalition system, drawing parallels to Herman Mashaba’s minority coalition tenure as Johannesburg mayor from 2016 to 2019.
She argued that such arrangements often give smaller parties disproportionate influence, leading to undemocratic governance.
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