The opposition battle for Johannesburg has exploded into open war, with DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille warning that divided opposition votes will keep the ANC in power after 4 November 2026, and ActionSA hitting back by accusing her of arrogance and hypocrisy.
Zille warned that even a strong DA showing may not be enough to govern if opposition parties split the anti-ANC vote and then combine their numbers to prop up the ANC.
“If we get 45%, then we can do a coalition with some smaller parties,” she argued, saying opposition unity would determine whether Johannesburg gets an opposition-led government.
She also questioned how corruption could be tackled alongside the ANC, asking: “Please tell me how we get rid of corruption in coalition with the ANC?”
The remarks triggered a fierce counter-attack from ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont, who said Zille’s criticism lacked any self-awareness about the DA’s own role in collapsing the previous opposition coalition in Johannesburg.
“Zille’s assessment lacks self-awareness,” Beaumont told Africa Daily.
“If the DA is concerned about divisions in the opposition it would not lead coalitions as if it has been given a majority mandate to govern,” he said.
Beaumont escalated the fight by taking aim at the DA’s service delivery record, accusing the party of running a two-tier system.
“If you vote for the DA, service delivery will depend on your postal code,” he charged, claiming ActionSA delivers to all communities regardless of who they vote for.
The row exposes the deep scars from Johannesburg’s last coalition experiment. After the 2021 local elections, DA councillor Mpho Phalatse became mayor through a multi-party opposition deal that included ActionSA. The administration was riven by internal fights and Phalatse was removed in January 2023, allowing an ANC-led coalition under current mayor Dada Morero to take power despite the ANC not winning an outright majority.
With the November election set to produce another hung council, both parties are now positioning to dictate terms.
Beaumont said ActionSA would only consider partners who commit to its three non-negotiables – delivering services to all communities, declaring corruption public enemy number one, and addressing illegal immigration at municipal level.
“If the DA can show that it is a better partner in serving the priorities of our voters, then that will be considered,” he said.
But he ruled out any deal that keeps Morero in Johannesburg or returns former Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink to power, insisting ActionSA will not betray its voters.
“ActionSA’s constituents will have given us a mandate, and we will not betray that mandate by working with parties that diametrically oppose the wishes of our voters,” he said. “We will not enter into coalition arrangements at any cost.”