A new poll shows veteran opposition politician Helen Zille leading the race to become Johannesburg’s next mayor, albeit without the outright majority she would need to govern alone. The News24/SABI Strategy Group survey found Zille with 36% support, compared with 27% for an African National Congress candidate. Her Democratic Alliance, the party actually on the ballot, stands at 29%, versus 23% for the ANC, a 10-point decline from the party’s 2021 result. The result contrasts with an earlier survey that had the ANC ahead, 31% to 28%. Johannesburg, the country’s commercial hub, has become a symbol of dysfunctional city governance. The vote will be closely watched as a test of the ANC’s declining popularity amid unemployment, crime, and corruption.