By: Abigail Visagie
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen took to the stage in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, on 4 February to formally announce that he will not seek re-election at the end of his term in April — a move that has set off a high-stakes race for the party’s top position. With two prominent contenders emerging — Solly Msimanga and Geordin Hill-Lewis — the battle for leadership is shaping up to be fiercely competitive. Hill-Lewis has risen steadily within both the party and government ranks. In 2011, at just 24, he became the youngest Member of Parliament in South Africa’s history, marking an early milestone in his political career. He has served as Mayor of Cape Town since 2021. During his tenure, Cape Town committed significant funding to infrastructure development, spending R10 billion last year and allocating R25 billion over the current term. Hill-Lewis introduced plans to mitigate load-shedding by procuring electricity from independent power producers and enabling residents to feed excess solar power back into the grid. Under his leadership, the city has reported growth in employment levels. While critics have suggested that tourism receives priority attention, the mayor has also placed emphasis on affordable housing. In 2025, he oversaw the deployment of additional Metro Police officers and advanced the expansion of the MyCiTi bus service to improve accessibility. Throughout this period, the city has maintained clean financial audits and sound reporting standards. Beyond his parliamentary role, Hill-Lewis served as Deputy Provincial Leader of the DA in the Western Cape. He is widely regarded as a close ally of former DA leader Helen Zille, and comparisons have been drawn between his trajectory and Zille’s time as both party leader and Cape Town mayor. Meanwhile, Solly Msimanga stands as another formidable contender. He is currently the DA’s Gauteng Provincial Leader and serves in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. Msimanga previously acted as the party’s spokesperson for Sports, Arts and Culture and Recreation in Gauteng, and has served on the Education and Economic Development portfolios. One of his most notable achievements was serving as Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane for three years — a metro widely regarded as more politically diverse and socio-economically complex than Cape Town. According to the DA, Msimanga inherited a financially distressed municipality and turned a reported R2 billion deficit into a surplus within his first financial year as mayor. The party further credits him with overseeing the construction of 40 RDP homes, removing 900 political appointees from the mayor’s office, and launching an inner-city revitalisation programme aimed at restoring investor confidence. He also established the Tshwane Economic Development Agency, which reportedly attracted R1.5 billion in investment and contributed to the creation of approximately 1,850 jobs. Both candidates bring distinct leadership styles and governance records to the table. As the DA prepares for its next chapter, the question remains whether executive experience at metro level will translate into the national leadership the party now seeks.
