Jockeying for a range of leadership positions in the DA is intensifying ahead of the opening of nominations at the end of the month, following federal leader John Steenhuisen’s decision not to seek a third term.
Well-placed DA officials told the Sunday Times that a slew of powerful figures in the party — including ministers and other public representatives — are expected to contest several leadership posts in the run-up to the federal congress, scheduled for April at Gallagher Estate in Midrand.
At the same time, it has emerged that popular Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is in pole position to succeed Steenhuisen.
It is understood Hill-Lewis enjoys strong backing from Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, which together send the largest voting blocs to DA congresses.
While Hill-Lewis has not formally announced he is running, he appears to be running a tacit campaign on social media, where he has said he is “seriously considering” doing so.
So far, only Gauteng DA leader Solly Msimanga has publicly expressed interest in contesting the position. However, sources said his prospects were slim, citing controversies during his tenure as Tshwane mayor between 2016 and 2019.
If elected, Msimanga would be the second black leader of the DA after Mmusi Maimane, who was booted out after the party’s poor showing in the 2019 general elections.
Several influential DA figures who spoke to the Sunday Times said they supported Hill-Lewis, citing his charisma and what they described as his strong leadership of the City of Cape Town, seen as the DA’s good governance flagship.
A protégé of Helen Zille, Hill-Lewis has long been seen as a DA “prince who should be king”. His rise in the DA began in the early 2000s, when he entered parliament at the age of 24 as one of the youngest MPs in the National Assembly, while also serving as Zille’s chief of staff during her time as party leader. In parliament, he served on the finance and trade and industry committees. Now 39, Hill-Lewis is married and has a daughter.
Former party leaders, including Tony Leon, have spoken glowingly about him in media interviews, with Leon saying he has known Hill-Lewis “from when he was a schoolboy”.
Others, however, question whether an English-speaking candidate who grew up in Cape Town would be able to help the DA claw back support in Afrikaans-speaking communities in the northern parts of the country.
This comes at a time when Steenhuisen, in his role as agriculture minister, is said to have alienated sections of the Afrikaner farming community over what critics describe as his poor handling of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
Hill-Lewis this week ignored repeated requests for an interview.
Meanwhile, deputy finance minister Ashor Sarupen is set to succeed Zille as DA federal council chairperson, a role that puts him in charge of the party’s day-to-day operations. In relative terms, the position is equivalent to that of the ANC’s secretary-general.
There was a realisation that even if [Steenhuisen] has been cleared by the federal legal commission, his credibility has been diminished
— Insider
Zille is campaigning to be mayor of Joburg and has stated she wants out of the job after serving two terms. Sources said she deliberately stayed out of discussions leading up to Steenhuisen’s decision to step aside, citing their fractured relationship.
The Sunday Times understands that, for now, there is no other contender for the federal council chairperson position. Once nominations open, the DA will run an open contest, with candidates allowed to assemble their own campaign teams to lobby the party’s 2,500 voting delegates.
Former deputy trade and industry minister Andrew Whitfield — who was fired by President Cyril Ramaphosa at Steenhuisen’s request — is said to be vying for the post of deputy federal chairperson, where he is set to challenge incumbent and Western Cape MEC Ivan Meyer.
Young MP Dr Mark Burke, who holds a PhD in econometrics and serves on parliament’s finance committee, has also been tipped as a possible new DA finance head following Dion George’s departure. However, acting DA finance chair Erik Marais has not been ruled out of the race.
Other ministers, including communications minister Solly Malatsi, are also said to be seeking re-election as party deputy federal chairpersons, along with basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube, who would be contesting the position for the first time. Controversial Cape Town safety MMC JP Smith is also expected to seek another term.
Sources indicated that the months leading up to Steenhuisen’s pulling out of the race had been difficult for the party. With the coming local government elections, they had felt compelled to “give impetus” to their campaign.
“There was a realisation that even if he has been cleared by the federal legal commission, his credibility has been diminished,” said one insider, speaking this week on condition of anonymity. “We would have underperformed with him at the helm. New leadership adds new energy to what we are trying to do.”
Other sources said Steenhuisen had bowed to pressure after realising he had lost support of at least six provinces.
“There’s a strategic core of provincial leaders that met to say ‘we are not moving with you anymore’,” said another source. “The discussions have been happening among provincial leaders before the weekend ... and when the numbers became overwhelming — including some of his former allies — he was finished.
“A clear majority of the provinces said they are no longer going with him; I think I can put it at six.”
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