Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has warned Johannesburg residents against voting for smaller parties in next year’s local government elections, saying they have trapped the city in unstable coalitions.

He was speaking in Soweto, where the DA announced its Federal Council Chairperson, Helen Zille, as its mayoral candidate.

The city continues to face high unemployment, inequality and the lasting effects of apartheid.

Steenhuisen says much of the blame for the city’s current state is due to poor leadership.

“You know what Johannesburg doesn’t have? Leadership. Johannesburg doesn’t have leadership and what we have today is not governance, it’s decay management. That’s what this government in Johannesburg is doing. They’re not governing, they’re managing decay, and even as they manage decay, they do it badly.”

VIDEO |Steenhuisen warns Joburg residents against voting for smaller parties: