On November 4, Helen Zille heads to a primary school in Johannesburg, but the examination awaiting her is far bigger than anything on a classroom blackboard.
The DA’s mayoral candidate casts her vote at Emmarentia Primary School, in a ward her party controls but where residents have battled dry taps, sewage spills and deteriorating infrastructure.
Five years ago, Zille voted at Pinelands High School in Cape Town. This time, her political ambitions bring her to Johannesburg’s Ward 88, where the DA’s Nicolene Jonker is the sitting councillor.
The Electoral Commission identifies Emmarentia Primary School, at the corner of Hill and Umgeni roads.
But there is a catch.
Zille cannot vote herself into the mayor’s office. Johannesburg’s voters elect 270 councillors, who must then decide who gets the mayoral chain.
And that is where the arithmetic, alliances and uncertainty begin.
What the numbers say
Ward 88 covers Emmarentia, Northcliff, Franklin Roosevelt Park, Montgomery Park and surrounding neighbourhoods.
In the 2021 municipal elections, Jonker secured 58% of valid ward votes, comfortably defeating her opponents.
An independent candidate received 14.2%, ActionSA took 13.3% and the ANC managed 6.4%.
On the proportional representation ballot, the DA received 58.5%, followed by ActionSA on 22.2% and the ANC on 7.8%.
Turnout reached 55.5%, with 8,632 valid ward ballots recorded across five voting districts.
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Those are the numbers from five years ago. Boundary changes mean the figures cannot provide an exact comparison with the 2026 contest.
But voting figures tell only part of Ward 88’s story.
The other part concerns the services residents expect from the politicians seeking their votes.
A lesson in dry taps
In February, Emmarentia residents faced prolonged water interruptions that left households and businesses scrambling for alternative supplies.
Some relied on water tanks, tankers and help from neighbours.
Resident Vaun Kelly complained about the municipality’s preparations and communication. He said officials had known about reservoir and pumping problems for years.
Local business owner Leila Gassiep reported that her restaurant lost water on February 2, threatening its operations.
Councillor Jonker told the Northcliff Melville Times that Johannesburg Water officials struggled to explain why some households remained without water.
“They’ve promised to keep investigating until they find an answer,” she said.
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September brought another headache.
Sewage flowed towards Emmarentia Dam, disrupting canoeing activities and raising concerns about pollution.
Johannesburg Water blamed tree roots obstructing a sewer line. Its teams subsequently cleared the blockage.
The failures occurred under Johannesburg’s ANC-led multiparty administration, although Ward 88 has a DA councillor.
For Zille, the problems provide a local example of the infrastructure crisis she promises to tackle citywide.
The examination after election day
Zille promises to protect water and electricity revenue, replace ageing pipes, repair substations and restore municipal services.
She also proposes reserving at least 70% of water revenue for water services.
Her Johannesburg vote marks a departure from 2021, when she cast a special ballot in Cape Town.
Zille says she became ordinarily resident in Johannesburg in January. GOOD subsequently questioned whether her voter registration complied with electoral requirements.
She rejected the challenge, saying she spends almost all her time in Johannesburg.
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Her planned polling station is known, although independent confirmation of her registration and voting time remains outstanding.
Zille heads the DA’s Johannesburg proportional representation list, providing a route into the new council.
But the city’s next mayor emerges only after councillors are elected and the political negotiations begin.
So when Zille leaves Emmarentia Primary School, her ballot will be in the box.
Whether she graduates to the mayor’s office is a question Johannesburg’s new council must answer.
- On November 4, Helen Zille voted at Emmarentia Primary School in Johannesburg's Ward 88, where the DA's Nicolene Jonker is the sitting councillor.
- In the 2021 municipal elections, the DA received 58.5% of the proportional representation vote in Ward 88, and Jonker secured 58% of valid ward votes.
- Residents of Emmarentia faced prolonged water interruptions in February and sewage spills in September, highlighting ongoing infrastructure problems.
- Zille promises to protect water and electricity revenue, replace aging pipes, repair substations, and reserve at least 70% of water revenue for water services citywide.
- Johannesburg's mayor is elected by the 270 councillors after municipal elections, meaning Zille's vote on election day does not directly secure her the mayoral position.
