Hill-Lewis commits to keeping DA in GNU if elected leader

Cape Town MayorGeordin Hill-Lewishas moved swiftly to lay out his vision for theDAafter accepting a nomination to run for the party’s federal leader position. Hill-Lewis has entered the race to replace outgoing leader John Steenhuisen at the next DA federal congress that is due to take place in Midrand in April. He was nominated by basic education ministerSiviwe Gwarube, at a packed Elsies River Civic Centre on the Cape Flats.

Steenhuisen, who had served two terms as DA leader, announced in January that he would not be vying for re-election. Launching his leadership campaign under the theme “a stronger DA, a stronger SA”, Hill-Lewis affirmed Steenhuisen’s decision for the DA to remain a part of the government of national unity (GNU), emphasising that the arrangement would continue under his leadership, if elected. Hill-Lewis, who in the mid-2000s was one of the DA’s youngest MPs, has long had his star on the rise and insiders have consistently described him as “a prince who would one day be king”.

The 39-year-old aspirant DA leader said his vision for a “stronger DA, a stronger SA” was anchored on four pillars: Steenhuisen’s decision to lead the DA into the GNU has always been a source of clashes in the party, with some arguing that its working relationship with the ANC was diluting the blue party brand. Making a noise is not the same as making a difference. But a DA that drifts along quietly inside the GNU is equally weak.

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It sends out a signal that we prize positions above the people we serve “The decision to join the GNU was the correct one, because a DA that resigns itself to permanent opposition status is weak. We cannot be satisfied with shouting from the sidelines,” said Hill-Lewis. “Making a noise is not the same as making a difference, but a DA that drifts along quietly inside the GNU is equally weak.

It sends out a signal that we prize positions above the people we serve. This will never be acceptable under my leadership. “I know that it is difficult to walk the tight-rope between competition and co-operation in a governing coalition — and how hard it is to know when to compromise and when to draw a line.

I will make sure that under my leadership, the DA works daily to shape the direction of government. Because a genuine partnership to fix the country cannot be all one-way traffic.” Hill-Lewis, who would also remain in his position as Cape Town mayor even if he is elected party leader, said he did not buy into the narrative that SA was a broken country, and he would work towards efforts to restore national credibility. “If elected as the leader of the DA, I will make it my mission to restore hope in our country — a country of hope; not the politics of blind optimism or feel-good sloganeering.

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