Herman Mashaba Says Helen Zille Cannot Win Joburg Without Soweto

• ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba dismissed Helen Zille's Joburg mayoral bid, saying no candidate can win the metro without Soweto
• Mashaba targeted Zille's social media campaign, which has drawn attention well beyond South Africa's borders
• The two politicians have clashed before, and Mashaba made clear their rivalry will intensify as elections approach

JOHANNESBURG — ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has publicly written off Helen Zille's bid for the Johannesburg mayoralty, insisting that any candidate who overlooks Soweto cannot win the city.

Mashaba, who is also ActionSA's mayoral candidate for the upcoming local government elections, made the remarks in comments reported by Inside Politics.

Mashaba says Zille will not win

During an interview with Inside Politic, Mashaba argued that the Democratic Alliance's candidate would be unable to secure Johannesburg without meaningful support from the township.

"If she thinks she will win Joburg without the support of Soweto, she must be living in another world," Mashaba said.

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He went further, dismissing any suggestion that Zille poses a serious threat to his own mayoral campaign. Responding to her social media campaign, which has attracted attention beyond South Africa's borders, Mashaba was blunt. He said Zille "will not be mayor of Johannesburg, not even in her next life."

Soweto at the centre of the contest

Mashaba's remarks position Soweto as the decisive battleground in the race to govern South Africa's economic hub. His argument is that parties which fail to build genuine support in communities such as Soweto cannot claim a mandate to run the entire metro.

For Mashaba, who built his political identity partly around his roots in Johannesburg's townships, the message is a strategic one. He has consistently framed winning the city as requiring broad community buy-in rather than a narrow base of support.

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Rivalry between Mashaba and Zille sharpens

The two politicians have clashed on multiple occasions in the past, and Mashaba's latest comments suggest that dynamic is unlikely to soften as polling day draws closer. With parties competing to convince voters across Johannesburg's diverse communities that they are best placed to govern the metro, the contest is expected to become increasingly heated.

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Mashaba's focus on Soweto reflects a broader truth about Johannesburg politics: large townships carry significant electoral weight, and any candidate who fails to connect with those voters faces a steep path to the mayoralty.

Mashaba changes his views on Zille

Previously, Briefly News reported that Herman Mashaba changed his views about the Democratic Alliance's Federal Chairperson Helen Zille. He said he was deceived into holding the views he once did in the past. Mashaba responded to a tweet former Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink shared where he praised Zille. Brink said that in the years he has known Zille and read about her life, anyone calling her a racist was a racist. He also said she's one of those in South Africa he holds with the highest esteem and is proud of her.

Source: Briefly News