Finances, corruption, repairs: Helen Zille on her plans to turn Joburg around

Electing Helen Zille to lead the battling City of Joburg is an intriguing prospect, especially with her extensive political experience.

Many envisage electing the DA heavyweight to run Joburg is like putting a fish in the water to swim.

Zille has previously demonstrated her capabilities by successfully leading the Western Cape, which she single-handedly wrested from the ANC and managing the City of Cape Town with a firm hand under the DA.

Zille’s priorities for Johannesburg

As she campaigns for mayor in the local government elections on 4 November, Zille aims to replicate her past successes in Johannesburg, one of Africa’s largest metropolitans.

She has said she will introduce major changes to the city if elected as the DA’s third mayor in a decade.

Zille has outlined her commitment to achieving financial recovery for the city within her first 100 days in office.

Her main priorities include addressing persistent corruption, reforming a disorganised billing system and stabilising the city’s troubled finances.

“We can start initiatives, but it is unlikely we can finish things. We will implement our anti-corruption architecture, start fixing the billing system and seek to stabilise the finances,” Zille says.

Here we asked more questions on her vision for Joburg:

What is your plan of action to change Joburg?

I have set that out in my pledges and manifesto, as well as my speech at the final rally. We circulated the text widely. Please refer to that speech.

We want a Joburg that works. If you turn on the tap, there is water, if you switch on the kettle, there is electricity, rubbish is collected.

Traffic lights work and businesses have opened their doors to employ more people across the city. And there are young people waking up to go to work.

That is the Joburg I believe in. It is our last chance to save Joburg.

What difference can you make, including envisaged changes?

If we can stabilise the finances and stop corruption, there will be money for basic services and the infrastructure will begin the long, hard road to recovery.

Making Joburg work means creating more jobs.

The government’s job is to create conditions in which businesses invest, grow and employ people.

Cape Town has added more jobs since 2016 than all the other seven metros combined.

That is the best proof the DA offers hope and opportunity to all.

A factory needs electricity, a restaurant needs water, a trader needs a clean, safe street and so on.

The DA plans to turn Joburg into the world-class city it deserves to be. The ANC has not fulfilled that promise.

What has been troubling you about the city and why?

Most troubling is the financial crisis and the scale of corruption.

How do you plan to tackle or solve this?

The DA has proof of good governance in the City of Cape Town and Midvaal in Gauteng, which has 12 consecutive clean audits.

Corrupt officials will face consequences. We will declare war on corruption.

Joburg needs its own Madlanga moment. We will initiate an independent inquiry into the corruption that has paralysed the city and will act on its findings.

Coalitions are an obvious issue. What kind of coalition partnership will your party enter into, and with whom?

We will be able to say after the election, when we see the results.

In the first 100 days as mayor, what do you envisage implementing to bring change?

We can start various initiatives, but it is unlikely we can finish them. We will implement our anticorruption architecture, start fixing the billing system and seek to stabilise the finances.

We will start rebuilding the foundation of this city, fix the finances, cut waste and fix the billing system, fund the essential services.

The money you pay for water must go to water and the money you pay for electricity must fix electricity.

We will repair pipes, substations, maintain roads and put honest and capable people in charge, like engineers.