“May the Best Helen Win”: SA Amused As Helen Zille Recruits Namesake ANC Member to Join the DA

• DA's Helen Zille stopped at an ANC stand and spotted a woman wearing a name tag that read "Helen"
• The two Helens shared a playful interaction and a photoshoot before Zille invited her namesake to join the DA
• South Africans found the moment hilarious and said no one does ground work quite like Helen Zille

Helen Zille, the Democratic Alliance's Gauteng mayoral candidate, turned a chance encounter at an ANC stand into one of the most talked-about campaign moments of the season. While walking past an ANC stand on 23 June 2026, Zille noticed a woman wearing a name tag that read "Helen." She stopped, made her move, and the two hit it off.

Helen Zille recruits an ANC member

The clip, posted by the Facebook page Zille Candid Cam under the caption "Helen meets Helen 🟡 ❤️," shows the two women sharing a lighthearted exchange and posing together for a quick photoshoot. Zille then seized the moment to invite her newfound namesake to join the DA, pitching it as a party that governs for the people.

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Watch the moment Helen met Helen at the ANC stand on this Facebook reel below:

Mzansi reacts to seeing the two Helens

The clip struck a chord with viewers who appreciated both the humour and the boldness of stopping at a rival party's stand to poach a supporter with the same name.

User @Elson Matyolo said:

"OMG, haha this is the best part! 🤩 Helen and Helen DA viva"

User @Debra Nel wrote:

"I think the DA is going to show the world who is going to rule South Africa. About time 🤣🤣👆"

User @Good Choice commented:

"She's such a social person 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣"

User @Gcobani Ntilashe added:

"No one can beat Helen Zille on the ground work 💯"

User @Liliza Gxekwa shared:

"Let the best Helen win. The girls are enjoying."

3 Briefly News articles about Helen Zille

• A Johannesburg man who had been hoping to meet Helen Zille finally got his wish, and during their meeting, he promised to vote for her, saying the DA leader was Johannesburg's last hope.
• Helen Zille was seen kayaking through the flooded streets of Johannesburg to show what residents have to face during floods, as she campaigned for the city's mayoral title.
• Johannesburg's mayoral candidate, Helen Zille, traded her snorkel for a fishing rod and took on the City of Johannesburg a few days after her pothole swim caught major attention.

Source: Briefly News