by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG,(CAJ News)– MONTHS before watershed local government elections, the race for the mayoral position in Johannesburg and control of the key Gauteng province is proving to be a fiercely contested affair.
The two main political parties that constitute the Government of National Unity (GNU) currently governing South Africa are increasingly at odds as the eagerly anticipated municipal elections approach.
However, the contest is far from being a simple two-horse race between the African National Congress (ANC) of President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Ahead of the elections—at a date yet to be set but scheduled for late 2026 or early 2027—tensions are escalating between the ANC and the DA over service-delivery challenges in Johannesburg, part of the struggling Gauteng province, the country’s economic and political powerhouse.
The water crisis has become a central flashpoint.
A billboard erected by the DA in the executive capital, Pretoria, has particularly angered the ANC.
The DA is capitalising on the crisis to position itself as a viable governing alternative, especially in Johannesburg, currently led by the ANC under Mayor Dada Morero.
The party recently unveiled the billboard about 50 kilometres north of Johannesburg, mocking Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi over the province’s ongoing water shortages.
Both Johannesburg and Pretoria are in Gauteng, alongside another major metropolitan municipality, Ekurhuleni.
“The ANC showers in hotels. You have no water. Vote DA to put water in your taps,” the billboard reads.
The image depicts Premier Lesufi taking a shower while wearing formal attire.
The advertisement refers to remarks Lesufi made during the height of the water crisis, when he said he had checked into a hotel to shower in order to meet professional commitments.
The comment previously angered residents, many of whom cannot afford such a luxury.
Solly Msimanga, leader of the DA in Gauteng, defended the campaign.
“This billboard is essential to tell Panyaza Lesufi that it is unacceptable to show such contempt for the people of Gauteng,” he said.
“No resident can afford to hire hotel rooms just to take a shower because your failing government denies them water at home,” added Msimanga, who served as mayor of Pretoria from 2016 to 2019.
The ANC has reacted angrily.
The dispute is the latest in a series of clashes between the ANC and the DA, its main partner in the GNU formed in 2024 after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since the advent of democracy.
The ANC has denounced what it calls an “opportunistic billboard campaign.”
“At a time when residents are understandably frustrated by intermittent water supply disruptions—largely caused by ageing infrastructure, rising demand and bulk supply constraints—the DA has chosen theatrics over solutions,” the Gauteng ANC said.
Provincial spokesperson Mzi Khumalo delivered the response.
“The DA’s attempt to reduce a complex infrastructure challenge to a marketing gimmick is not only misleading but deeply insensitive to residents who expect mature leadership, not campaign stunts.”
The ANC also argues the billboard is unnecessary since Lesufi had already apologised for his remarks.
The party further says that before “lecturing” Gauteng residents, the DA must account for spatial inequality, gang violence and infrastructure backlogs in the Western Cape, where the DA governs.
Helen Zille, former Western Cape premier and former Cape Town mayor, is contesting the Johannesburg mayoral race.
Zille, who is also Chairperson of the DA Federal Council, has rejected calls by the ANC to remove the billboard.
“Instead, we would like to encourage Premier Lesufi to act against the water crisis with the same level of urgency as he has acted against this billboard,” she said.
In recent weeks, Zille has intensified her election campaign.
At the end of February, she took her campaign trail to the historic township of Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg.
She faced social-media criticism after watching the Soweto Derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at a tavern.
Zille celebrated Pirates’ victory while holding a beer.
Mzwanele Manyi, a member of the uMkhonto weSizwe party of former president Jacob Zuma, criticised the gesture.
“In Johannesburg, we don’t want a mayor who celebrates while brandishing alcohol, given the alcohol abuse in our townships,” Manyi said.
Zille later clarified that her beverage contained zero percent alcohol.
While the ANC has not yet officially announced its candidate for the 2026 local government elections, Morero remains the most likely contender.
Beyond the water crisis and alcohol-related controversy, Gauteng faces numerous challenges, with Johannesburg at the centre.
Other prominent politicians who have confirmed interest in the mayoral race include ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, a former mayor of the city and former DA member.
He won the position in 2016 when the ANC lost control of Johannesburg, along with several other metropolitan municipalities.
Mashaba’s campaign focuses on repairing infrastructure, tackling illegal immigration and dismantling criminal cartels that have hijacked buildings belonging to the municipality.
A war of words has already erupted between Mashaba and Zille, with both criticising each other’s tenures as mayors of Johannesburg and Cape Town respectively.
Kenny Kunene, deputy president of the Patriotic Alliance (PA), a smaller but vocal party within the GNU, has also entered the race.
His campaign is centred on service delivery, urban renewal and the clean-up of Johannesburg.
The elections will be held no earlier than November 2, 2026, and no later than February 1, 2027.
– CAJ News