Gareth Cliff has shown his public support for Helen Zille, who was announced as the Democratic Alliance’s Joburg mayoral candidate.
The 74-year-old hopes to take the helm of the city in the 2026 elections
Cliff’s comments come after he chastised last year’s axing of Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink, also a DA member.
GARETH CLIFF BACKS HELEN ZILLE
On his X account, Gareth Cliff praised Helen Zille’s bid to become Joburg’s new mayor.
He tweeted: “Regardless of whether you like the DA, this is great news for South Africa’s most important city”.
He added, “I don’t want to hear from sideline commentators about Helen and her tweets, or anything else. Johannesburg deserves leadership. Good luck”
Podcaster Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh agreed.
He posted: “Like it or loathe it, Helen Zille will be a formidable mayoral candidate in Joburg, with the capacity to make the DA the biggest party in the metro.
“The ANC will only have itself to blame for presiding over JHB’s decline”.
‘DAUGHTER OF JOHANNESBURG’
In her acceptance speech at the DA’s lavish launch, Helen Zille revealed that she was excited to return to the city of her birth.
The Hillbrow-born mayoral candidate told the crowd: “Many of you know me as an ex-mayor and an ex-premier, a mother and a gogo. I am here today as a daughter of Johannesburg, where I took my first breath, took my first steps, and took my first words. It’s here where I rented my first flat and found my first job. I fell in love here. And I fell in love with this city and all her people.
Zille added that she would work to restore the city to its former glory.
The 74-year-old vowed to prioritise the delivery of basic needs services such as water, electricity, road repair, and refuse services.
She continued: “We will not let Joburg’s taps stay dry. We won’t accept brokenness as the new normal. We will wrestle our city back from a criminal mafia. When you drive through those potholed roads, in the darkness, where every broken streetlight represents a failed promise, I share your despair.”