Geordin Hill-Lewis wants to run for President of South Africa

Mayor of Cape Town and member of the Democratic Alliance, Geordin Hill-Lewis, said that he would “definitely” run for president if given the opportunity. 

During an interview with Jacaranda FM while on a visit to Gauteng, the Cape Town mayor was asked by viewers if he had considered running for president. 

Hill-Lewis said that “the answer is yes, I mean, definitely.”

This is contrary to the mayor’s previous statements, in which he said that he was not interested in a national leadership position.

“I got into politics and am still very passionate about politics because it gives you the best opportunity and leverage to do something really positive in our country and our society,” he said. 

He said that he got into politics to try to build a South Africa that he knows is possible. 

“So you can really do that a lot as a mayor, and I repeat, I think being a mayor of a city is one of the most important and coolest jobs in the country,” he said. 

“But obviously your leverage, your opportunity, your impact only grows as you move into national government,” he said. “So yes. Definitely.”

This is contrary to the mayor’s past comments on taking on the party presidency.

In January 2025, he told the media that he had “absolutely no intention of standing against [Steenhuisen] as long as he wants to stand.”

According to the Daily Maverick, he also said that he loves his job as mayor and was not seeking another job. He said he found his role as mayor “extremely fulfilling.”

He said at the time that he was not ruling out running for the DA’s top job in the future.

Yet, he has consistently said he would never oppose Steenhuisen, a position his spokesperson repeated to Newsday.

DA elective congress is a one-horse race at the moment

The interview comes as the DA recently announced it will shortly open its nominations process for party members to put forward leadership candidates for the April Federal Congress. 

So far, other than the current leader, Steenhuisen, no other candidates have yet indicated that they are prepared to join the race.

Steenhuisen himself has not yet announced his official campaign for the position, but had previously told the Politieke Rapport podcast that he was seriously considering it.

Steenhuisen was elected as interim leader of the party in 2019, after Mmusi Maimane left the party. He then became the permanent leader in 2020, with 80% of the party’s support. 

Hill-Lewis has held the position of Cape Town mayor since November 2021. He is the youngest Executive Mayor that Cape Town has ever had.

He was also the youngest member of parliament when he was elected in 2011. 

He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Cape Town as well as a Master’s degree in Finance through the University of London. 

During his time as mayor he has focused on driving investment in infrastructure. He has increased the annual investment in infrastructure from R4 billion to R6 billion in 2021 to R15 billion.

Hill-Lewis has also focused on taking over essential services from the National Government, including port management and policing. 

UPDATE: This article has been updated to emphasise that Hill-Lewis has said that he will never run if Steenhuisen runs.