Easy win: Hill-Lewis in as new DA leader

The second-biggest political party in South Africa’s ruling coalition has appointed a new leader as it gears up to contest municipal elections that look set to reshape the country’s political landscape.

Geordin Hill-Lewis, the 39-year-old Mayor of Cape Town, will take over the helm of the Democratic Alliance (DA) from John Steenhuisen, who has stepped down after almost seven years in office.

Read:
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Hill-Lewis to run for leadership of Democratic Alliance

Hill-Lewis easily saw off a challenge from Sibusiso Dyonase, a little-know municipal councillor, at a party congress in Johannesburg on Sunday.

In his acceptance speech, Hill-Lewis vowed to use the upcoming local ballot as a stepping stone to building the DA into the largest party in South Africa ahead of national elections in 2029.

Listen/read: The DA’s bid to broaden its appeal

“Our ambition must be to lead the national government,” he told the cheering audience. “That is the next chapter in our party’s proud history.”

The DA won 22% of the vote in general elections in 2024, while the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since apartheid ended three decades earlier.

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The two rivals then agreed with eight smaller parties to form a so-called government of national unity (GNU), with the DA allocated six posts in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet.

Read:
GNU unlikely to last, DA’s Zille says
Ramaphosa urges ANC to act on policy as vote looms

The coalition’s commitment to prioritising growing the economy and safeguarding the constitution cheered investors and spurred a rally in the nation’s assets. But internal relations have been rocky, with the two main parties sparring over a series of contentious laws, taxes and appointments.

Hill-Lewis has signalled his support for the DA’s continued participation in the government, but wants his party to have greater sway over policy and decision-making.

He intends to seek another term as Cape Town mayor rather than take up a cabinet post – a decision he says will enable him to better differentiate the DA from the ANC because he won’t be answerable to Ramaphosa on a daily basis.

“Under my leadership, the DA will fight every day to shape the direction of government so that it reflects our values. And that is why we must continue to oppose policies in the GNU that block our country’s progress,” he said.

Cabinet shakeup?

While the president has the prerogative to appoint his executive, the DA leader makes recommendations on its deployees, and Hill-Lewis’s election may portend a shakeup in the allocation of posts.

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Deputy Finance Minister Ashor Sarupen’s election as chair of the DA’s federal council, traditionally a full-time role, means he will likely have to be replaced.

Founded in 2001, the DA controls Cape Town, the country’s second-biggest city, and the surrounding Western Cape province outright.

Its leadership shakeup comes before municipal elections that are expected to take place later this year and will be a key test of whether it can capitalise on public anger over a collapse of water provision and other basic services in ANC-run municipalities.

One key battleground will be Johannesburg, the nation’s economic hub, where former DA leader Helen Zille is running for mayor.

Read:
Zille’s mayoral run means she believes Joburg is fixable
‘I haven’t had water for 24 days’ protester tells Joburg mayor

The party will also need to arrest declining support in parts of the Western Cape, where the Patriotic Alliance is making inroads into its voter base, with internal polling showing its backing in the province is slipping toward the 50% mark.

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