Cape Town’s Zille named world’s best mayor

CAPE TOWN – Cape Town mayor Helen Zille was yesterday named the world’s best mayor by a global urban issues think-tank, which praised her efforts to fight crime and to prepare for the 2010 football World Cup.

Trumping 819 mayors from around the world Zille, who also leads South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance, was followed by Zurich mayor Elmar Ledergerber in second place and Leopoldo Lopez of Chacao, Venezuela in third. “Her strong leadership on fighting crime, the preparations for the 2010 World Cup and (fighting) drug abuse has made Cape Town a world-class city again,” said a statement from the London-based City Mayors think-tank.The group sought nominations from the public, receiving 820 candidates.Over 18 months a panel of experts whittled them down to a short list of 11 and then voted for the winner.Zille is the only opposition mayor in a country whose political arena is dominated by the African National Congress, which led the struggle against apartheid.She became mayor after her party won a municipal election in the city in 2006.A political journalist during the white-minority rule apartheid era, Zille became a staunch critic of the white-minority government.”It is a great incentive for us to keep working to build democracy in South Africa with opportunities for all,” Zille said of the award.- Nampa-AFP”Her strong leadership on fighting crime, the preparations for the 2010 World Cup and (fighting) drug abuse has made Cape Town a world-class city again,” said a statement from the London-based City Mayors think-tank.The group sought nominations from the public, receiving 820 candidates.Over 18 months a panel of experts whittled them down to a short list of 11 and then voted for the winner.Zille is the only opposition mayor in a country whose political arena is dominated by the African National Congress, which led the struggle against apartheid.She became mayor after her party won a municipal election in the city in 2006.A political journalist during the white-minority rule apartheid era, Zille became a staunch critic of the white-minority government.”It is a great incentive for us to keep working to build democracy in South Africa with opportunities for all,” Zille said of the award.- Nampa-AFP