Al Jama-ah leader slams Adam Habib’s endorsement of Helen Zille for Joburg mayor
· The South African
Al Jama-ah leader Ganief Hendricks has criticised former Wits University vice-chancellor Adam Habib for endorsing Democratic Alliance (DA) candidate Helen Zille for the Johannesburg mayoral position.
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Zille, the former Western Cape premier, is the DA’s mayoral candidate for South Africa’s economic hub and one of the country’s most closely contested metropolitan municipalities, the City of Johannesburg.
Her campaign has sought to highlight what the party describes as severe service delivery failures in the municipality. Among the campaign activities, Zille has been filmed swimming in a pothole-filled area, playing tennis on a court with overgrown grass and highlighting infrastructure failures across the city.
ADAM HABIB ENDORSES HELEN ZILLE FOR JOHANNESBURG MAYOR
Taking to X, Habib shared an article highlighting the financial challenges facing businesses in Johannesburg, including concerns about economic conditions in the city.
Habib said it was important for Helen Zille to win decisively and be elected mayor, arguing that this was what Johannesburg needed.
“Helen defined this election from day 1 with her performative campaigning & her service delivery focus. Everyone else responds to her, reflected even in the racist diatribes. My fear is that she will get the largest vote but not the majority and then the other politicians gang up,” he wrote.
He added: “The ganging up of politicians against Helen to keep her from power even though she has the largest vote will not be an example of democracy. It will show that racism, chauvinism and personal agendas have won out against the collective good. JHB will suffer as it has for years.”
AL JAMA-AH LEADER WEIGHS IN
Reacting to the endorsement, Hendricks said Habib “does not know what he is talking about”.
Hendricks, who is also the Deputy Minister of Social Development, said the DA had been given two opportunities to lead the City of Johannesburg but had failed, which he argued contributed to governance and financial instability in the municipality.
“The DA had two chances and failed twice. Johannesburg cannot afford a third experiment,” he said.
The DA has governed Johannesburg during two separate periods in recent years. Herman Mashaba served as mayor from 2016 to 2019, while Mpho Phalatse served as mayor from 2021 to 2023.
Hendricks also criticised Helen Zille’s previous role within the DA, claiming that the party “systematically dismantled Johannesburg’s administration” while she served as Federal Council chairperson.
“Now, she returns to finish the job and sabotage the City’s rightful vision to stand as the iconic economic beacon of Africa,” he said.
Touching on what he described as the DA’s track record in Johannesburg, Hendricks cited alleged staff purges, alleged illegal spying through the Group Forensic and Investigative Services, and the collapse of small and medium-sized enterprises allegedly linked to unpaid municipal contracts, among other issues.
Hendricks’ comments come as political parties intensify their campaigns ahead of the 4 November local government elections, with Johannesburg expected to be one of the key battlegrounds.