Newly elected ANC Greater Johannesburg Regional Chairperson Loyiso Masuku says 74-year-old DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille “should not be part of the conversation” as political parties gear up for the 2026 local government elections.
Speaking in Woodmead during her first media briefing after defeating outgoing chairperson Dada Morero by 184 votes to 149, Masuku said Johannesburg needs new leadership with modern solutions to its financial instability and service-delivery problems.
Masuku, who is also the City’s MMC for Finance, becomes the first woman to lead the ANC in the region and is widely expected to be the party’s preferred mayoral candidate.
Her comments come as Zille—DA Federal Council chairperson and former Western Cape premier—returns to frontline politics as the DA’s candidate for Johannesburg mayor. Zille’s bid has drawn national attention, with the DA arguing that her experience could stabilise governance after years of coalition turbulence in the metro.
