Zille sets out 100-day plan for Joburg ahead of 4 November vote
DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille says fighting corruption, fixing billing and stabilising finances would come first if she wins Johannesburg in the local elections.
Helen Zille, the DA’s candidate for Johannesburg mayor, says she would focus on corruption, the city’s billing system and its strained finances during her first 100 days in office. The Citizen put questions to her ahead of the local government elections on 4 November.
If elected, Zille would be the DA’s third mayor of the city in a decade. She says she plans major changes and describes this as the “last chance to save Joburg”.
What Zille says she will do first
Zille admits that much of the work will not be finished within 100 days. “We can start initiatives, but it is unlikely we can finish things,” she told The Citizen. She named three early steps:
- putting an anti-corruption system in place;
- starting to fix the billing system;
- working to stabilise the city’s finances.
She said she would also order an independent inquiry into the corruption that she says has paralysed the city, and act on its findings. Corrupt officials, she said, would face consequences. She described the inquiry as Joburg’s own “Madlanga moment”.
Services and jobs
Zille said stable finances and an end to corruption would free up money for basic services. She argued that residents’ payments must be spent properly: money paid for water should go to water, and money paid for electricity should go to fixing electricity.
She said her team would repair pipes and substations, maintain roads and place “honest and capable people” such as engineers in charge. Her stated aim is a city where taps run, the lights come on, rubbish is collected and traffic lights work.
On jobs, Zille said government must create conditions in which businesses invest and hire. She claimed Cape Town has added more jobs since 2016 than the seven other metros combined, and pointed to Midvaal in Gauteng, which she said has had 12 consecutive clean audits, as proof of DA governance.
Coalitions still unclear
Asked which parties the DA might work with, Zille gave no names. She said the party would be able to answer after the election results are known.
What this means for residents
These are campaign promises, not commitments that have been delivered. Zille herself says most of the work would take longer than 100 days. Residents who want to compare parties can look at the manifestos and pledges that each one has published. Voting takes place on 4 November, and coalition talks after the results could shape who actually runs the city.
This story is based on reporting by The Citizen.
