Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has been elected leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) during the party’s Federal Congress at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand on Sunday. As the newly elected party leader, Hill-Lewis has outlined an ambitious plan to grow the DA into South Africa’s largest political party, declaring that the party’s next goal is to lead the national government.
Expanding the DA’s Electoral Base
Hill-Lewis said his leadership would be defined by a singular mission: expanding the DA’s electoral base and positioning it to take control of national government in the coming years. Central to his address was a four-part strategy aimed at strengthening the party’s electoral prospects. Firstly, Hill-Lewis emphasised the need for the DA to continue demonstrating governance capacity where it is already in power, citing the party’s track record in municipalities, including his tenure as Cape Town mayor, which shows that “the basics work” under DA leadership.
According to the South African Government website, the country’s municipalities play a crucial role in delivering basic services to communities. Hill-Lewis pointed to improvements in sanitation, public transport, and community infrastructure in DA-run areas, saying that “when we do the basics well, it is the poor who benefit the most”.
Broadening the Party’s Support Base
Secondly, Hill-Lewis acknowledged the need to broaden the party’s support base by connecting with voters who have not previously backed the DA. This, he said, would require a more grounded and community-driven approach. “We must earn trust the old-fashioned way, community by community, street by street, conversation by conversation,” Hill-Lewis said, adding that the party must listen more and be more visible in local communities.
The following are some of the key strategies Hill-Lewis plans to implement:
- Continuing to demonstrate governance capacity where the DA is already in power
- Broadening the party’s support base by connecting with new voters
- Playing a strong and principled role in the Government of National Unity (GNU)
- Developing a political messaging rooted in optimism and belief in the country’s future
Hill-Lewis identified crime as the country’s most urgent crisis, placing law and order at the centre of his policy agenda. As the Wikipedia page on crime in South Africa notes, the country has one of the highest crime rates in the world.
