Helen Zille
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The Honourable Helen Zille MPP |
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| Premier of the Western Cape | |
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Assumed office 6 May 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Lynne Brown |
| Leader of the Democratic Alliance | |
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In office 6 May 2007 – 10 May 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Tony Leon |
| Succeeded by | Mmusi Maimane |
| Mayor of Cape Town | |
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In office 15 March 2006 – 30 April 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Nomaindia Mfeketo |
| Succeeded by | Dan Plato |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
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In office 14 April 2004 – 15 March 2006 |
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| Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament | |
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Assumed office 6 May 2009 |
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In office 1999–2004 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Otta Helene Zille 9 March 1951 Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa |
| Political party |
Democratic Party (Before 2000) Democratic Alliance (2000–present) |
| Spouse(s) | Professor Johann Maree |
| Children | Paul Thomas |
| Alma mater | University of the Witwatersrand |
| Religion | Uniting Presbyterian |
Otta Helene "Helen" Zille (legal name Maree née Zille) (/ˈzɪlə/; born 9 March 1951) is a South African politician. She is the current Premier of the Western Cape (since 2009), a member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, the former leader of South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) political party, and a former Mayor of Cape Town.
Zille is a former journalist and anti-apartheid activist, and was one of the journalists who exposed the truth behind the death of Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko while working for the Rand Daily Mail in the late 1970s. She also worked with the Black Sash and other pro-democracy groups during the 1980s. In the political arena, Zille has worked in all three tiers of government – as the Western Cape province's education MEC (1999–2004), as a Member of Parliament (2004–2006), as Mayor of Cape Town (2006–2009), and as Premier of the Western Cape (2009–present).
Zille was selected as World Mayor of the Year in 2008 - from a field of 820 candidates. She was also chosen as Newsmaker of the year 2006 by the National Press Club in July 2007. Zille speaks English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, and German.
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