Helen Zille claims budget irregularities in Joburg. Image: The Star.
(The Post News) – After announcing her candidacy for Johannesburg mayor in 2026, Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal Chairperson Helen Zille claims their review reveals that there are irregularities in the city’s budget.
Over the weekend, Helen Zille was announced as a candidate at a DA rally in Soweto by DA leader John Steenhuisen. This is where she also highlighted that the city’s budget was unstable, as there were “duplicated jobs” and “inadequate funding for maintenance” found in the DA’s review.
She expands that only 1% funds allocated for public Maintenace actually goes to maintenance, and instead municipal entities duplicate administrative roles. She asserts that this is too low and should be at least 8%, adding that the reason for the drastic shortfall cannot be understood and constitutes bad governance, leading to the “decay of the city.”.
Gauteng Leaders Clap Back at Helen Zille and the DA
The Gauteng leaders maintain that the DA doesn’t understand the complexity of the issues at hand, and they have a habit of hyper-inflating figures to work for their argument.
ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe says this is evident in how the DA presents high service delivery figures in Cape Town and the Western Cape. He claims that most of these figures represent white neighbourhoods and insists that the DA’s reputation for good governance is a “myth,” as they neglect townships.
Gauteng Department of Social Development spokesperson Teddy Gomba also argued a similar sentiment regarding how the DA presented the figures of malnutrition in Gauteng. According to Gomba, the DA’s claim that “millions of children are suffering from malnutrition due to the department’s decision to centralize food distribution” is misleading, false, and manipulated, as reported by the SABC.
Meanwhile, EFF Gauteng leader Nkululeko Dunga said Zille, whom he described as “a very old white woman from the Western Cape,” and the DA do not understand the city’s demographic complexities and lack the capacity to address these issues.
Helen Age Became the Topic of debate.
Helen Zille’s age, 74, had become a topic of debate. She reassured the public that her age reflects her experience, making her well-equipped to transform the city’s infrastructure, services, and employment opportunities, as she had done in Cape Town.
Please share your thoughts, contact Lukhona via email: journalist-lukhona@thepostnews.net
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