The mayor of Cape Town announced on Friday that he would be running for leadership of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in South Africa’s ruling coalition.
Geordin Hill-Lewis (39) told a rally in Cape Town that he was standing to be the next leader of the Democratic Alliance, to the cheers of hundreds of supporters.
John Steenhuisen announced earlier this month that he would not run for a third term at party elections in April in a major shake-up ahead of local polls later this year.
Hill-Lewis became mayor in 2021 of the city seen as among the better-managed municipalities in the country.
“Under my leadership, we will show, as we have shown here in Cape Town, that the DA governs well and governs for everyone,” he said.
The pro-business DA was credited with boosting confidence in South Africa when it joined the 10-party coalition following general elections in 2024. However, the party was rocked by a series of internal controversies over Steenhuisen’s leadership.
Claiming to be polling at historically high levels, the DA is seeking to win over voters disillusioned with poor performance of the African National Congress (ANC).
The ANC was forced into an uneasy coalition with the former opposition party after losing its 30-year majority in the 2024 national elections, accused of incompetent and corrupt governance.
The DA, which runs on a liberal, free-market agenda, has long struggled to shake off an image of representing the white minority.
“Too often, people see us as distant,” Hill-Lewis said. “They feel that we speak at them, not with them. If we are going to grow, we must change that.”
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In his candidacy announcement, Hill-Lewis set out four priorities: governing well for everyone, connecting with every South African, being strong and principled in government, and restoring belief in the country.
“South Africans are united by a simple but urgent desire to live in a country that works,” he said.
Hill-Lewis pointed to the City of Cape Town’s investment in infrastructure, job creation, and affordable housing as evidence that effective government can restore hope.
He said the DA must strengthen itself over the next three years to become the country’s largest party in 2029 and play a leading role in shaping South Africa’s future.
“We must now unite around the singular mission of strengthening the DA so that we can strengthen South Africa,” he said.
