Cape Town Mayor and DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis was announced as the party’s mayoral candidate for Cape Town in Hanover Park on Saturday.
Image: Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers
Cape Town Mayor and DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis was announced as the party’s mayoral candidate for Cape Town in Hanover Park on Saturday, as political parties begin preparing for the upcoming local government elections.
The announcement took place on the Cape Flats, where crime, housing, unemployment, and service delivery are expected to be among the major issues for voters.
Hill-Lewis, who is seeking another term as mayor, outlined five campaign priorities: stronger policing, job creation, reliable and affordable basic services, more affordable housing, and cleaner public spaces.
Addressing residents and DA supporters, Hill-Lewis said the party would ask voters for a renewed mandate in the city.
"Today, we begin the next chapter in the story of this city we love," he said.
The DA currently governs the City of Cape Town and is expected to campaign on its record in the metro. Opposition parties are likely to focus on persistent challenges facing working-class communities, including gang violence, housing backlogs, affordability, spatial inequality, and access to basic services.
Speaking in Hanover Park, Hill-Lewis said safety would be one of the party’s main priorities.
"We refuse to accept that crime is just part of life."
He said the city would continue calling for more policing powers and intended to build its own policing capacity, including through a proposed Metro Police Detective Unit.
"An arrest means little if the case collapses. A confiscated gun means little if the criminal is back on the street," Hill-Lewis said.
On employment, Hill-Lewis said Cape Town had recorded 480,000 new jobs over four-and-a-half years, which he contrasted with job creation figures in Johannesburg and the Gauteng metros.
He said the party would focus on reducing red tape, cutting unnecessary fees, and improving conditions for business and investment.
"Cape Town understands that when you grow, our economy grows, and jobs are created."
Hill-Lewis also said the DA would continue investing in infrastructure and basic services, including water, sanitation, and electricity.
He said the city planned to reduce its reliance on Eskom by buying more electricity from independent producers, and would aim to replace 100km of fresh-water pipes and 100km of sewer pipes every year.
Housing is expected to remain a contested issue in Cape Town, where debates around land release, informal settlements, and affordability have intensified in recent years.
Hill-Lewis said the DA would release more city-owned land for affordable housing, upgrade informal settlements, and expand partnerships with the private sector to increase affordable rental units.
"Our goal is a city where more people live closer to opportunity."
He also pledged tougher action against illegal dumping and littering, upgrades to parks, beaches, sidewalks, public spaces, and expanded cleaning services in informal settlements.
Hill-Lewis told voters the party should be judged on both its record and its promises.
"Judge us by what we have already done," he said.