Geordin Hill-Lewis promises to never challenge John Steenhuisen

Mayor of Cape Town and Democratic Alliance (DA) member Geordin Hill-Lewis has reiterated that he would not run for the DA’s leadership position as long as John Steenhuisen is in the race.

This follows recent reports from Newsday that Hill-Lewis said he would “definitely” be interested in one day being president of South Africa. 

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 2025, 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,” said Hill-Lewis.

“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.”

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

However, following this, spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office, Lyndon Khan, expressed concern that the article implied that he would run for office imminently.

He said that Hill-Lewis has not changed his position on refusing to run against the DA’s current leader. 

“His stance on contesting DA leadership hasn’t changed if John Steenhuisen is still in the race,” said Khan. 

Additionally, Khan said that Hill-Lewis is not planning to run for national leadership in the immediate or medium-term future.

“He still wants to have a second term as Mayor of Cape Town, if re-elected by the public in the local government elections.”

His office did not respond to further queries as to why he would never run if Steenhuisen is in the race. However, the two are key allies in the party.

Hill-Lewis has publicly expressed strong loyalty to Steenhuisen, describing him as a “dear friend” and repeatedly stating he has no intention of challenging him for the DA leadership as long as Steenhuisen wants to continue.

Steenhuisen has backed Hill-Lewis in key roles, such as backing him as the DA’s mayoral candidate for Cape Town in 2021, leading to Hill-Lewis becoming mayor.

Previously, he retained him in prominent shadow cabinet positions, like the Shadow Minister of Finance under Steenhuisen’s leadership since 2020.

Hill-Lewis’s move is strategic – expert

Political analyst and Professor at the University of South Africa, Professor Dirk Kotzé, told Newsday that Hill-Lewis’s position on the matter is strategic.

“Hill-Lewis has become a popular person in the DA because he is the mayor of Cape Town, but he needs to play a key role in keeping the position of the DA in the Cape,” he said. 

Kotzé said that if Hill-Lewis takes on the role of DA leader, he would need to leave his post as Cape Town Mayor. 

This is not legally required under South African law or the DA consitution, but Kotzé warned that it would be politically difficult.

The DA’s Federal Chairperson and former Mayor of Cape Town, Helen Zille, once held both roles between 2006 and 2009, but Kotzé said that this was “not ideal” and drew much criticism from the African National Congress (ANC).

The ANC argued that Zille’s priorities were driven by narrow party interests, rather than by the broader needs of Cape Town residents. 

Kotzé added that if Hill-Lewis leaves Cape Town, he will leave a vacuum in his place. “He would rather consolidate the position of the DA in Cape Town,” he said. 

Additionally, Kotzé said that Hill-Lewis’s reluctance to challenge Steenhuisen is a matter of strategy as well. 

“Steenhuisen has built a relationship with President Ramaphosa. For him to move out will give the DA complications,” he said. 

A new DA leader would have to develop a new relationship with the president from scratch, the political analyst said. “And there’s no real relationship between Geordin Hill-Lewis and Cyril Ramaphosa.” 

“Through complications like the budget and the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (BELA), Steenhuisen and the president have formed the basics of a working relationship, and this relationship shouldn’t be interrupted,” he said. 

Kotzé said that Steenhuisen, therefore, will most likely be re-elected at the DA’s upcoming congress. 

Aside from these strategic reasons, he added that no one else in the DA appears to be interested in campaigning for the role.