McKenzie predicts Helen Zille will not become Joburg mayor — and says the DA will be nowhere

Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie has delivered a blunt assessment of the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) political prospects following the 2026 Local Government Elections, insisting that Helen Zille will not become the next mayor of Johannesburg.

McKenzie, who has been outspoken about the DA’s ambitions in South Africa’s economic hub, believes the party faces the prospect of being sidelined during the coalition negotiations currently shaping the country’s major metropolitan municipalities.

Speaking during an interview with BizNews presenter Alec Hogg, McKenzie expressed confidence in his prediction about the political future of Johannesburg and the DA’s position in the emerging coalition arrangements.

“Helen Zille will not become mayor. The DA will be nowhere,” McKenzie said, outlining his expectations of how the coalition negotiations would unfold.

According to McKenzie, the ANC is likely to reach an agreement with ActionSA, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party in Gauteng, potentially leaving the DA outside the governing arrangements in several important municipalities.

He predicted that ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba would become Johannesburg mayor, while the ANC would take control of the City of Ekurhuleni. He also suggested that Tshwane could return to the leadership of former mayor Nasiphi Moya.

McKenzie’s remarks suggest that the PA leader believes the DA could lose significant political influence despite its electoral performance.

He further argued that isolating the DA from coalition arrangements in the major Gauteng metros would weaken its negotiating position within the national Government of National Unity (GNU).

The PA leader also discussed the DA’s attempts to establish relationships with other political parties, including ActionSA and the MK Party, suggesting that the party had recognised the importance of securing alternative political partnerships.

His prediction comes amid a complicated coalition environment in which no single party has secured an outright majority in several major municipalities.

Meanwhile, Zille has remained central to the DA’s Johannesburg campaign and its efforts to secure leadership of the municipality.

The DA’s political leadership will now have to navigate negotiations involving parties with competing interests and differing positions on who should lead the city.

Although McKenzie’s comments reflect his assessment of the negotiations rather than a confirmed coalition agreement, they underline the growing political tensions surrounding Johannesburg’s future administration.

Ultimately, the outcome will depend on negotiations between political parties and the support secured when councillors vote to elect the city’s next mayor.

The battle for Johannesburg is therefore far from over, with coalition arithmetic expected to determine whether Zille’s mayoral ambitions become reality or McKenzie’s prediction proves correct.

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