Zille Leaves DA Leadership for Johannesburg Mayor Bid

At the Democratic Alliance's federal congress in Midrand, Johannesburg, outgoing Federal Council Chairperson Helen Zille announced on Saturday that she will not seek a return to the party's top leadership structures following the two-day elective gathering. The 75-year-old, who has held various senior roles in the DA for over a decade, plans to concentrate her efforts on her campaign to become mayor of Johannesburg ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

Addressing more than 2,000 delegates at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Zille emphasized the party's stability and growth, crediting recent efforts for placing the DA on "firm foundations" and positioning it as a "national force for reform." She described the organization as a "blue machine" running at peak performance, united by values of kindness, freedom, and fairness rather than racial divisions. "We are not black, not white; we are blue," Zille said, urging members to resist race-based politics from opponents and maintain the party's nonracial stance. She warned that rivals, including the African National Congress, might play the race card due to their own governance shortcomings, but insisted the DA remains united...