Zille told Daily Maverick that she would decide whether to apply to run for Johannesburg mayor by next week, as candidates who want to be considered have an application deadline of 15 June.

DA federal chair Helen Zille is seriously considering a dramatic return to frontline politics as Johannesburg mayor.

This comes after three high-profile candidates, most from business, turned down the party's approach to throw their hats into the ring to lead the party's Johannesburg campaign. The job was too hard-charging and the pay too low - mayors earn about R1.5-million a year. The local government election will happen in either late 2026 or early 2027.

Zille told Daily Maverick that she would decide whether to apply by next week, as candidates who want to be considered have an application deadline of 15 June.

"My whole family is in Cape Town," she said, adding that her greatest joy now is seeing her grandchildren regularly and that they had a weekly adventure date. "My husband (retired sociologist Professor Johann Maree) has always been unbelievably supportive. He supports what I decide, but won't come (to Johannesburg)."

She said Maree, now 82, was happily settled in their retirement village and that if...