JOHANNESBURG, Wednesday 11 November 2026 — ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has indicated that he is willing to withdraw from the race to become Johannesburg mayor if the Democratic Alliance (DA) withdraws Helen Zille as its mayoral candidate, according to correspondence reported by Eyewitness News.
The proposal comes ahead of coalition negotiations between ActionSA and the DA scheduled for Thursday, after neither party secured an outright majority in Johannesburg’s 4 November local government elections.
ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont confirmed that the party was willing to engage the DA, with the mayoral question expected to form part of the discussions.
Mashaba proposes reciprocal withdrawal
Eyewitness News reported that it had seen a letter from Mashaba to DA federal leader Geordin Hill-Lewis setting out the proposed arrangement.
Under the proposal, Mashaba would step aside from the mayoral contest on condition that Zille also withdrew.
The letter signals that ActionSA is prepared to explore a governing arrangement with the DA, but does not accept Zille as the party’s proposed mayor.
Beaumont said ActionSA remained open to negotiations with the DA and that the disputed leadership question would be discussed directly.
The proposal has not been accepted by the DA, and neither candidate’s withdrawal has been confirmed.
DA and ActionSA face coalition arithmetic
The DA emerged as Johannesburg’s largest party in the municipal elections, followed by the African National Congress (ANC) and ActionSA.
However, the DA’s approximately 34% share of the vote was insufficient to secure control of the council without support from other parties.
ActionSA received approximately 16.27% of the Johannesburg vote, placing it in a potentially influential position during coalition negotiations.
The parties must therefore consider whether they can agree on a governing arrangement that attracts sufficient support in the new council.
ActionSA has also engaged ANC and EFF
ActionSA has already held discussions with the ANC and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) as parties explore possible governing combinations in Johannesburg and other Gauteng metropolitan municipalities.
The party’s willingness to negotiate with the DA does not exclude alternative arrangements involving other political parties.
Beaumont has previously raised concerns about Zille’s role in coalition governments, citing ActionSA’s experience of earlier municipal arrangements.
Those concerns represent ActionSA’s political position and have not been established as an independent finding about Zille’s conduct.
Thursday talks could clarify mayoral contest
The scheduled negotiations will provide an opportunity for the parties to discuss the proposed leadership compromise alongside their broader coalition priorities.
For Johannesburg, the outcome could influence which parties are able to assemble a governing majority and who ultimately contests the mayoralty when the new council convenes.
No coalition agreement has yet been concluded between ActionSA and the DA, and the mayoral contest remains unresolved.
