‘Only Zille can save Joburg’: ex-Wits VC Habib says DA mayoral candidate perfect for the job

Former University of the Witwatersrand vice-chancellor Adam Habib has endorsed DA Joburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille as the right person to save Johannesburg from collapse.

The 2026 Joburg mayoral race is shaping up to be one of the most fiercely contested, with political heavyweights and fresh faces competing ahead of the November 4 local government elections. Other candidates vying for the position include:

• ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba;
• the EFF’s Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng;
• Rise Mzansi’s Lukhona Mnguni; and
• Patriotic Alliance deputy leader Kenny Kunene.

Zille’s campaign has drawn mixed reactions from the public. While some praise her for exposing the city’s severe service delivery failures and crumbling infrastructure, others remain sceptical.

Her recent campaign stunts include recording herself swimming in a water-filled Douglasdale sinkhole caused by a neglected burst pipe, as well as navigating a severely flooded Dobsonville road using an inflatable boat and a kayak.

Critics and rivals, such as Mashaba, have dismissed her tactics as mere publicity stunts.

My fear is that she will win the largest vote share but fall short of a majority, leading other politicians to gang up against her. A coalition formed solely to keep her from power despite her winning the plurality of votes will not be an example of democracy ... Johannesburg will suffer as a result, just as it has for years

—  Adam Habib, former Wits University vice-chancellor

Taking to X, Habib referenced an article detailing the financial collapse of businesses across the city of gold, arguing that a Zille victory is the only way to prevent Johannesburg’s total decay.

“If she does not get an overall majority, the city and South Africa are doomed,” he said. “Her victory and the clean-up she will subsequently undertake is necessary.”

Habib faced swift backlash over his remarks, with critics arguing that Zille failed to fix Cape Town during her previous tenure as mayor, while others raised concerns about her age and race.

Habib dismissed these criticisms as “pure racism and discriminatory on age grounds”, insisting that competence should be more important than demographic factors.

“I am proud of an electorate that chooses an elderly white gogo if she is competent,” Habib said.

“Helen defined this election from day 1 with her performative campaigning and her service delivery focus. Everyone else is simply responding to her, which is reflected even in the racist diatribes. My fear is that she will win the largest vote share but fall short of a majority, leading other politicians to gang up against her.

She is the only candidate in Johannesburg with a proven record of turning a city around. She won Cape Town from the ANC, which is why I believe she needs to win Johannesburg decisively

—  Habib

“A coalition formed solely to keep her from power despite her winning the plurality of votes will not be an example of democracy. It will show that racism, chauvinism and personal agendas have triumphed over the collective good. Johannesburg will suffer as a result, just as it has for years.”

Addressing criticism over Zille’s refusal to condemn the genocide in Gaza, Habib dismissed the issue as irrelevant to municipal politics. He emphasised that she is running for mayor, a role focused on municipal service delivery and creating an enabling environment for residents, not minister of international relations.

“For this role, she is perfect,” Habib added.

While acknowledging that conditions in black townships remain significantly worse than those in white suburbs in DA-run Cape Town, Habib argued that direct comparisons should be made between equivalent municipalities rather than contrasting Khayelitsha with Camps Bay. Comparing ANC-run Thembisa to DA-run Gugulethu, he said the DA governs better.

“In comparisons of like for like, Helen and the DA do better in municipal governance across the board. With few national exceptions, this remains true, as does the fact that she is the only candidate in Johannesburg with a proven record of turning a city around. She won Cape Town from the ANC, which is why I believe she needs to win Johannesburg decisively.”

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