Helen Zille

The DA’s Helen Zille denies endorsing Patrice Motsepe for the ANC presidency

(Photo credit: AFP) Democratic Alliance federal council chairperson Helen Zille has dismissed claims that she endorsed billionaire Patrice Motsepe as a potential successor to President Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president. Zille says her comments were taken out of context and stressed that she does not involve herself in the internal affairs of the African National Congress. She was responding to media reports suggesting she had expressed support for Motsepe’s leadership […]

27 January, 2026

South Africa

In South Africa, DA Opens Councillor Applications for Local Elections

In South Africa, The DA officially opens applications for councillor candidates for the upcoming local government elections on Saturday. The party seeks skilled, committed individuals who share the party’s values and focus on improving local communities. This follows new regulations to address issues in many towns facing mismanagement. DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille told the media the party also started a catalyst programme and its participants were selected and […]

29 January, 2025

South Africa

ANC accuses the DA’s Helen Zille of attempting to undermine its leadership

The ANC has accused DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille of attempting to undermine its leadership with baseless and misleading claims. The party dismissed Zille's claims about their involvement in shaping the government of national unity as false and misleading. In a media briefing, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula condemned Zille’s ongoing attacks on president Cyril Ramaphosa, labelling them as a desperate attempt for power:

8 November, 2024

South Africa

South African Communist Party Slams ANC for Failing to Control DA’s Zille

South African Communist Party general secretary Solly Mapaila says the government of national unity is in turmoil, and the key parties are too different to cooperate. He addressed the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union’s central executive committee meeting in Boksburg on Tuesday. Mapaila criticised the ANC for failing to rein in the DA's Helen Zille, saying her constant outbursts prove that the Communist Party's anti-government of national unity assertions […]

6 November, 2024

South Africa

ANC deputy president says there are no internal quarrels within the government of national unity

ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile says there are no internal quarrels within the government of national unity. He acknowledged some tensions between Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and DA federal chairperson, Helen Zille over the DA’s refusal to work with the ANC in the province. As the government of national unity marks 100 days since the establishment of the seventh administration in June, Mashatile emphasises the ANC's commitment to unity and […]

15 October, 2024

Africa

Mother City: a tough, passionate film about the battle for affordable housing in Cape Town

Activist Nkosikhona Swartbooi leads a protest in the documentary Mother City. Screengrab/Mother City By Ian-Malcolm Rijsdijk, University of Cape Town A third of the way into Mother City there’s a scene that characterises this tough, passionate film about Cape Town and its paradoxes of beauty and hardship, wealth and poverty, and the way it excludes the working poor. Two women talk in a room, while one […]

19 June, 2024

South Africa

DA reportedly exploring two options for a coalition government

The DA is reportedly exploring two options as coalition talks con-tinue. With the ANC only managing to get 40-percent of the vote and the DA 21.76-percent, the parties could establish a coalition for a joint 60-percent majority. The DA has formed a coalition negotiat-ing team, which includes former party leaders Helen Zille and Tony Leon. According to News24, several sources in the DA say the party is exploring forming […]

4 June, 2024