WATCH: Geordin Hill-Lewis succeeds Steenhuisen as new DA federal leader

Newly elected DA Federal leader, Geordin Hill-Lewis delivers his speech at Gallagher Convention centre April Midrand in Johannesburg,10 April 2026,on the last day of DA Federal Congress 2026. Picture:Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen Geordin Hill-Lewis has been elected as the DA federal leader at the party’s federal congress. The announcement was made at the DA’s federal congress at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, on Sunday, 12 April 2026.

Meanwhile, DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga has also been elected as the party’s federal chairperson. This is the second most powerful position in the party. On Saturday, the party rejected an amendment to its constitution that would have created a deputy federal leader.

In his acceptance speech, Hill-Lewis paid tribute to past leaders of the DA, such as Tony Leon, Helen Zille, Mmusi Maimane and John Steenhuisen. “I accept this responsibility with humility, with gratitude and with a deep sense of duty. I stand before you as your newly elected leader with one promise.

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“However long I have the privilege of serving in this job, I will be dedicated to a mission of building a stronger South Africa for everyone because South Africa is truly worth it. We have a great country, and we are a great people and we love this country way too much to see it fail. So together we will build a stronger South Africa, and to that we will build a stronger DA,” he said.

The first is that the party must continue to show that where it governs, it governs well. The second is for the party to connect more “deeply” with South Africans who have not voted for the DA, while not neglecting those who have voted for the party in the past. The third step is that the DA must become a strong and principled partner in the national government and wherever it co-governs.

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