Prince Mashele: I will publicly endorse Helen Zille if she vies for Joburg mayoral chain

Political analyst Prince Mashele says he would endorse former Western Cape premier Helen Zille to take over the reins as mayor of Johannesburg – if her party selects her as its candidate in the 2026 local government elections.

IOL reported in June that Zille indicated she was contemplating running for mayor of Johannesburg. 

At the time, in an interview with IOL, Zille remarked, “I have been approached to put my hat in the ring for mayor. I am still considering it and consulting my family.”

In an interview on the SMWX podcast with Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Mashele bemoaned the dilapidated state of Johannesburg and said he would stand behind Democratic Alliance (DA) federal council chairperson, Zille.

“Look, if Helen Zille wins the contest in the DA, I am not a supporter of the DA and I am very clear, if Helen Zille wins the contest to become the mayoral candidate of Johannesburg, I am going to do something I have never done in my life. I am going to publicly endorse her. Did you hear that?” said Mashele.

“This is big. I am going to do something that I have never done in my life. Publicly, I will endorse Helen Zille to be mayor of Johannesburg – with a heavy heart. The way the ANC has destroyed Johannesburg. Johannesburg used to be the pride of Africa. Parks Tau was part of the destruction of this city.”

The controversial author and researcher insisted that former ANC mayor of Joburg, Tau was part of the people who led Joburg into ruins. Tau is now Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition.

“Helen Zille has a proven track record. She ran Cape Town as mayor, she did not destroy it. She ran the Western Cape as premier, she did not destroy it. Let me tell you that will shock you, the Cape Town city centre is the second-most visited part of South Africa by tourists – second to the Kruger National Park,” said Mashele.

“Tell me, would you advise anyone you know, a tourist to visit the city centre of Johannesburg? To go to Hillbrow. There is a street in Johannesburg, Smal Street, I remember we used to walk there with my brother. It was beautiful, leading to Carlton Center, beautiful, my goodness. Go to that street today and see what the ANC has done.

“The ANC fellows must be booted out of Johannesburg as soon as possible if you want to save that city. The longer they stay in office, the faster the destruction of this city. It is so sad. How can you go without water in Sandton? The richest square mile in Africa without water. It can only happen under an incompetent called (mayor of Joburg) Dada Morero,” he said.

In March, IOL reported that Morero insisted the city is not a failure, despite ongoing power and water crises, pothole-riddled roads, malfunctioning traffic lights, hijacked buildings, service delivery issues, and a filthy CBD.

Morero argued that dedicated teams have been established to address each crisis.

“You’d know that since 2016, there have been bigger challenges in the city. We have now been given an opportunity to address those challenges, and we need time to do so. That’s exactly what we are doing,” Morero said during the opening of the Naledi Clinic in Soweto’s Region D.

Morero’s remarks came after the city called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene and assist with the metro‘s severe challenges that have taken the shine off the city’s catchphrase “A world class African city”.

Earlier, Ramaphosa had announced that the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group (PJWG) would be dispatched to help the city address its dire challenges.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

IOL News