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DA: Voting for Small Parties Will Keep ANC in Power in Johannesburg
By NewsInSA
John Steenhuisen warns Johannesburg voters against supporting small parties, saying it leads to unstable coalitions that keep the ANC in power. Helen Zille unveiled as mayoral candidate.
SOWETO, JOHANNESBURG, 20 Sept 2025 – Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has issued a stark warning to Johannesburg voters, arguing that supporting smaller political parties in next year’s local government elections will only guarantee another five years of ANC-led governance and continued instability for the city.
Speaking at a rally in Mofolo, Soweto, on Saturday to unveil Helen Zille as the party’s mayoral candidate, Steenhuisen framed the upcoming election as a binary choice between a stable DA-led government and a chaotic coalition propped up by the ANC.
The Warning Against “Wasted” Votes
In a direct appeal to voters, Steenhuisen cautioned against vote-splitting, asserting that smaller parties cannot be trusted with the city’s future.
“Let me make this clear: if you split your vote and vote for smaller parties, you are going to get five years of what you have had for the last five years,” he told a crowd of supporters clad in blue DA T-shirts at the Eyethu Shopping Centre.
READ: Helen Zille Confirmed as DA’s Mayoral Candidate for Johannesburg in 2026 | NewsInSA News
He specifically singled out ActionSA, accusing it of betraying voters by forming alliances with the very parties they campaigned against in other municipalities. “You cannot trust parties that take your vote and turn it around and give it to the very same people that you voted against,” he stated, referencing coalition dynamics in Tshwane.
A Rebuttal to Ramaphosa: “No Time to Teach”
The event also served as a platform to respond to recent comments from President Cyril Ramaphosa, who suggested ANC councillors could learn from DA-run municipalities on achieving clean audits.
DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga delivered a sharp rebuttal, declaring that the DA’s focus is on governance, not tutoring the ruling party.
“We do not have time to teach people not to steal,” Msimanga said. “We do not have time to teach people not to kill each other over tenders… We have time to fight for the residents of Johannesburg.”
Zille’s Homecoming and a Promise of “Renewal”
The rally formally introduced former DA leader and Premier Helen Zille as the party’s candidate to take back the mayoral chain. A biographical video showcased her upbringing in Johannesburg, which she contrasted with the city’s current state of decay.
Positioning herself as a candidate of experience and stability, Zille described parts of her hometown as having become dangerous and neglected, promising a platform of urban renewal.
Msimanga emphasized the critical importance of a functional Johannesburg for the entire country, metaphorically describing it as the veins nourishing the body of Gauteng and South Africa.
The DA’s Soweto rally marks the soft launch of its local election campaign, centering on a message of strong, single-party governance to avoid the instability of coalition politics and to finally unseat the ANC in the country’s economic hub.
