Helen Zille Reflects on ‘Fun’ Campaign as DA Makes Strong Gains in 2026 Elections
- DA Joburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille spoke to journalists at the Gallagher Convention Centre as vote counting surpassed 78% nationally
- The DA led in six of eight major metros but secured an outright majority only in Cape Town, with strong showings in Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay
- Zille's campaign drew both attention and backlash for viral social media stunts aimed at winning over Black voters
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Briefly News as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Source: Getty Images
SOUTH AFRICA - Helen Zille had a simple verdict on her Johannesburg mayoral campaign: long, but worth every moment. The Democratic Alliance (DA) candidate shared her thoughts with journalists at the Results Operation Centre at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand as vote counting in the 2026 Local Government Elections pressed on.
"A long campaign, but it was fun," she said, thanking voters as the latest tallies rolled in.
Her upbeat mood came as the DA posted notable gains across the country's major metropolitan municipalities.
DA surges across major metros
With more than 78% of votes counted nationally, the African National Congress held the overall lead at 31.9%, with the DA sitting at 24.3%. Yet the picture looked different at metro level. The DA emerged as the leading party in six of the country's eight major metros, though it only secured an outright majority in the City of Cape Town.
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
The two metros where the party fell short were Buffalo City and eThekwini. In Johannesburg, the DA captured 40% of the vote, while Nelson Mandela Bay delivered an even stronger result at 45%. Buffalo City was among the furthest along in its counting process, with nearly all votes accounted for.
See video posted on X here:
Zille's eye-catching campaign tactics
Zille was rarely out of the headlines during the campaign period. She used social media to shine a light on Johannesburg's crumbling infrastructure, staging a series of attention-grabbing stunts to drive her message home.
She swam in a giant pothole, went snorkelling on a waterlogged road and sailed a dinghy down a flood-hit street. She also abseiled down a building she claimed had been taken over by criminals, all in an effort to illustrate what she described as years of mismanagement under the ANC-led city administration.
Zille also made a deliberate push to connect with Black voters, a group the DA has historically found difficult to win over. One moment that stirred debate was a stunt in which she spun a gusheshe while in another she can be seen wearing a bucket hat, which drew mixed reactions from the public.
Despite the controversy, her campaign kept her name firmly in the conversation as she made the case that the DA could reverse Johannesburg's decline. W
Jub Jub warns againt a DA-run Johannesburg
Previously, Briefly News also reported that rapper and TV presenter Jub Jub fired off a lengthy warning to voters ahead of the Johannesburg mayoral race, calling out Helen Zille and the Democratic Alliance with a bold historical comparison that got people talking. a direct line between DA governance and the rising cost of living in cities where the party has held power
PAY ATTENTION: Stay informed and follow us on Google News!
Source: Briefly News
