DA Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille performs a spinning stunt in a modified BMW for a campaign video. Image credit DA
DA Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille has gone viral after a campaign video showed her spinning a modified BMW in clouds of tyre smoke. The Helen Zille spinning clip has sparked a flood of reactions, with many South Africans surprised to see the veteran politician behind the wheel.
In the video, Zille wears a bucket hat and glasses as she steers a dark BMW E30 through tight circles, known as donuts, on a paved arena. At the end, she leans out of the window and says that other parties will spin people stories, while the DA will spin into action. The video ends with the party’s campaign slogan, Believe in Joburg.
Zille confirmed the stunt on social media. She wrote that the rumours were true and that she spun over the weekend. She added that on 4 November she will spin Joburg in a new direction, and she urged residents to vote DA on both ballots.
Why Helen Zille spinning matters to the campaign
Spinning is a popular motorsport in South Africa, especially in townships. Drivers perform dramatic tricks with cars, mostly BMWs, while crowds gather to watch. Many spinners even climb out of their moving cars to perform stunts. By joining in, Zille appears to be reaching out to young voters and township car culture.
The stunt is the latest in a series of hands on campaign moments. Previously, Zille directed traffic at broken intersections and inspected potholes across the city. The DA has built its campaign around fixing service delivery in Johannesburg.
Zille, 75, is one of the best known figures in South African politics. She served as mayor of Cape Town, led the DA from 2007 to 2015 and later served as Western Cape premier. She currently chairs the DA’s federal council. Last year, she began a year long campaign to become mayor of Johannesburg.
Johannesburg faces deep problems. According to Zille, the city loses almost half of the water it buys and nearly a third of its electricity. In the 2024/25 financial year, the city also recorded billions of rand in irregular and wasteful spending. In addition, residents have endured years of water outages, broken roads and unstable coalition governments.
Zille has promised a six month plan to stabilise the city’s finances and focus on water, electricity, roads and refuse removal. However, polls show the DA leading the ANC in Johannesburg, but not by enough to win outright. Zille has said she will not lead a nine party coalition. Instead, she says the DA will go into opposition if it cannot form a workable government.
Meanwhile, commentary across social media platforms remains divided. Many users praised her driving skills and called the stunt a clever way to connect with young people. One user joked that she drives better than they do. Others, however, called the stunt reckless, and some questioned the safety of a man who ran alongside the spinning car.