“I’m fighting to be mayor of Joburg, not Ramallah": Zille Dismisses Criticism Over Foreign Policy

• Helen Zille has dismissed criticism over her stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict, saying her focus remains on fixing Johannesburg’s failing infrastructure
• This follows an interview with Polity, where she said she was fighting to be mayor of Joburg, not Ramallah or Gaza City
• Zille added that her critics are using that debate to derail her local elections campaign

JOHANNESBURG — Democratic Alliance (DA) Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille has pushed back against criticism over her stance on foreign affairs, saying her priority remains fixing the City of Johannesburg’s collapsing infrastructure and not foreign policy.

This comes after Zille was confronted by an angry pastor at one of her engagements, who questioned her morality over the Democratic Alliance’s stance on Gaza.

What did Helen Zille say?

Speaking in an interview with Polity, Zille said attempts to link her mayoral campaign to international conflicts such as the Israel–Gaza war were a distraction from the real issues facing residents.

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“I’m fighting to be mayor of Joburg, not Ramallah, or Bethlehem, or Gaza City, or Tel Aviv. I’m focusing on fixing Joburg,” she said.

She further added that the debate was being used to derail her campaign ahead of the local government elections.

Zille argued that critics pushing the geopolitical angle lacked strong arguments on service delivery failures, saying they were “scraping the bottom of the barrel” in trying to shift attention away from municipal governance.

Zille says she is focused on restoring basic services to Johannesburg

Zille divulged that her campaign is centred on restoring basic services in the City of Johannesburg, which she says is in deep financial and infrastructural distress, with a backlog she estimates at around R300 billion.

She also stressed the need for tighter financial management, including ring-fencing municipal revenue to ensure it is spent on service delivery rather than administrative inefficiencies and corruption.

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“The first thing we must do is focus on the finances and having the right people in the right places,” she said

She further called for a restructuring of the city’s administration, saying underperforming or politically deployed officials in key posts would need to be reviewed to improve efficiency and accountability.

Despite the challenges, she maintained that municipal entities could function effectively if led by skilled professionals and properly governed boards focused on essential services such as water, electricity, roads, and refuse removal.

Zille concluded that restoring Johannesburg would depend on competence, accountability, and strong financial discipline rather than political distractions.

Watch Helen Zille's interview on her foreign policy stance here:

South Africans weighed in on Zille's response to the DA's Middle East foreign policy

Some people heavily disagreed, stating that the DA is being hypocritical as they challenge other parties on their foreign policies.

@SA_Greatness said:

"How very convenient for a party that attacks the ANC constantly on foreign policy. Joburgers have a right to ask moral questions of their mayoral candidates, and these may touch on foreign policy issues."

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@DylanDan1998 asked:

"What policies are you going to put in place that are different? How will you relate to the struggles of poor SAns if you don't even have empathy for the Middle East?"

@Ayesha_Bagus said:

"We raise the Middle East because sovereignty matters. Supporting imperial power abroad says something about what you’re willing to tolerate locally."

Others agreed with Helen Zille, stressing the importance of fixing our own issues first

@FactCheckSA said:

"She is exactly right. I want someone who cares about the city and fixes it. Couldn't care less about things we have no control over."

@JeanJean20929 said:

"Yes, I agree with her. We are not busy with those issues here; we are busy with a local issue, and people confuse the two."

Helen Zille states her hard stance on illegal immigration

Briefly News also reported that Helen Zille tackled another emotive topic during her campaign trail. Zille seems to have jumped on the 'Abahambe' bandwagon after she said that illegal immigrants must face the full might of the law. During an interview, she also said that the DA is going to take a hard-line stance on illegal immigration, adding that some illegal immigrants are part of an international syndicate that commits crimes. Zille remarked that the DA has a zero-tolerance policy on illegal immigration.

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Source: Briefly News