Helen Zille is set to step down as DA federal council chairperson after the party’s decisive by-election win in Johannesburg’s Ward 102 opened a path for her to join the city’s council.
Image: Timothy Bernard/Independent Newspapers
Helen Zille will step down as chairperson of the Democratic Alliance’s federal council after the party’s victory in a Johannesburg by-election cleared the way for her to join the metro council as its mayoral candidate.
The move follows the election of Bea Campbell-Cloete as the new councillor for Ward 102.
She secured more than 94% of the vote in a landslide victory.
Campbell-Cloete previously served as a DA proportional representation (PR) councillor.
Her win creates a vacancy in the party’s PR allocation, which is expected to be filled by Zille.
Ward 102, which includes parts of Randburg, Bryanston and Blairgowrie, has long been a DA stronghold, and the party has won the ward in every election and by-election since 2000.
The seat became vacant in 2025 after former DA councillor Lucinda Harman resigned, citing death threats allegedly linked to a construction mafia involved in housing projects in the area.
Following Campbell-Cloete’s victory, the DA now has a PR vacancy in the Johannesburg council.
In an interview with eNCA, Zille said balancing her role as federal council chairperson with leading the party’s Johannesburg campaign had become too demanding.
“I still have two very big jobs to do. One is leading the campaign for Joburg, and secondly I’m still the chair of the federal council, which is a very big role. It keeps me up late at night because during the day I’m campaigning,” she said.
“So I don’t want to do three jobs. I’m standing down as chair of the federal council at the congress in April, and afterwards I’ll see whether it’s going to be good for me to campaign to be inside the council.”
The race for Johannesburg ahead of the 2026 local government elections is intensifying, with three candidates formally declared.
Zille was unveiled as the DA’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate in September by outgoing party leader John Steenhuisen.
She previously served as mayor of Cape Town from 2006 to 2009 and as Western Cape premier from 2009 to 2019.
During her tenure, the DA faced criticism over service delivery in informal settlements.
Herman Mashaba has been named ActionSA’s mayoral candidate.
He previously served as Johannesburg mayor from 2016 to 2019.
His candidacy was announced over the weekend at Orlando Community Hall in Soweto.
Mashaba was one of five senior leaders considered for the role and had indicated he would stand if the party could not identify a candidate with similar qualities to Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya and ActionSA’s Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Xolani Khumalo.
Kenny Kunene of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) has also been announced as a mayoral candidate.
Meanwhile, DA Federal Congress deputy presiding officer Bridget Masango said preparations for the party’s 2026 federal congress were “at full steam” and on track.
The congress will be held on April 11 and 12 2026 in Gauteng.
Delegates will elect a new federal leader, federal chairperson and three deputy federal chairpersons.
At the same time, members of the DA’s federal council will elect a new chairperson, three deputy chairpersons and a chairperson of the federal finance committee.
Masango said nominations opened at 7am and will close at 11.59am on March 23, 2026.
The party said submissions will be vetted by the party’s federal compliance department in consultation with presiding officers of the federal congress and federal council elections.
“All candidates are required to uphold the DA’s standards of conduct for internal elections,” she said.
“The party accepts that campaigning for offices may be robust, but expects campaigns to be conducted in a way that is in the best interests of the party and its supporters.”
Earlier this month, it was reported that Steenhuisen will not seek re-election as DA leader at the April elective conference.
He said he intends to focus on his role as minister of agriculture and on addressing South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
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