Expert unpacks the frontrunners to take over the DA from John Steenhuisen

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is facing an imminent leadership vacuum, with both of its most senior positions, Federal Leader and Chairperson of the Federal Council, set to become vacant at the same time.

This follows DA leader John Steenhuisen’s announcement on 4 February in eThekwini that he will not contest the party’s next leadership race.

In a further shake-up, Chairperson of the Federal Council Helen Zille has also confirmed she will not be seeking re-election, clearing the way for a major reshuffle at the top of the party.

Speaking to Newsday, renowned UNISA political science Professor Dirk Kotzé said he believes the vacancies have come as a surprise to the party. 

“To be honest, I think the DA is not really ready for this,” he said. “There is no clear successor in the pipeline.”

“It has caught them unprepared, which means that there is no next generation of leaders who are in good, strong positions to be elected as the DA’s leader.”

Speculating on possible candidates, Kotzé said that, because the nomination process has not yet started, no members of the DA have expressed their interest in the job. 

However, Kotzé highlighted that some party members have been put forward as potential leaders, and others are in a relatively strong position to enter the race.

Geordin Hill-Lewis

Kotzé said it is no secret that Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, appears to be the frontrunner for the job. 

Hill-Lewis has himself shared that he has already been approached by many within the DA to stand for the position. 

“He indicated that he is available, but that he wants to continue as mayor, if the DA is re-elected as the government in Cape Town at the end of the year,” Kotzé said. 

“So that will be quite similar to the time when Helen Zille was the mayor of Cape Town and the leader of the DA. That is the type of situation that can develop.” Zille held both positions between 2006 and 2009. 

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. 

Kotzé emphasised that Hill-Lewis is the clear frontrunner for the job at the moment, but that there are others in the DA in a position to challenge him for the position. 

Siviwe Gwarube

Kotzé said that Siviwe Gwarube, Minister of Basic Education, is certainly a prominent DA figure, likely to enter the leadership race. 

“She’s generally very close to Steenhuisen,” the professor added. Additionally, Kotzé said that the strategy of the DA having a leader who appeals to a wider voter base is beneficial for the party.

“She has the advantage of being a woman. The last time a woman was the leader of the DA was with Zille, and that she’s a black person,” said Kotzé

Gwarube was appointed Minister of Basic Education in July 2024. She is currently the youngest Cabinet Minister in South Africa’s history.

She has been a member of Parliament since 2019, serving as the chief whip of the official opposition, the shadow minister of health, and the DA’s national spokesperson and deputy chief whip. 

Gwarube studied Politics, Law and Philosophy at Rhodes University and the University of the Western Cape before starting her career as spokesperson for the then-DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko.

Solly Malatsi

Kotzé said that current Minister of Communications, Solly Malatsi, is also in a national leadership position for the DA, and also has the benefit of appealing to a wider, black voter base. 

“I don’t think he is in a very strong position yet,” he added. “He might be in a stronger position in three years time if he is successful as minister, and can then be a more serious candidate,” said Kotzé.

Malatsi was elected the second deputy federal chairperson of the DA at the 2023 federal congress, a position which he still holds, alongside minister.

Malatsi has been a member of parliament since 2014, serving as the party’s shadow Minister for Sports and Recreation, Human Settlements and Communications. 

He joined the DA as a student activist and was a graduate in the party’s Young Leaders Programme in its inaugural year in 2007. 

When he first joined the party, he worked as the DA national spokesperson from 2018 to 2020, and was reappointed to the position in 2022.

He holds a Bachelor of Administration degree from the University of Limpopo and an Honours Degree in Politics from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Cilliers Brink

Kotzé said the former mayor of Tshwane and current DA Tshwane Mayoral Candidate Cilliers Brink may be “somewhere in the pipeline” in the leadership race. 

However, he added that he does not think Brink is a strong contender. “The fact that he is not at the moment in office as the mayor counts against him. I think the people who are in active executive positions are in a stronger position,” he said. 

This puts mayors such as Hill-Lewis, or Ministers such as Gwarube and Malatsi, in a better position. 

Brink was elected Executive Mayor of Tshwane in 2023. His tenure ended in 2024, however, when he faced a motion of no confidence brought by the ANC and supported by ActionSA.

Brink joined the DA while completing his studies at the University of Pretoria, co-founding the inaugural branch of the DA students organisation. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree.

He was elected as a DA councillor in Tshwane in 2011 and went on to serve as a member of the mayoral committee in 2016. He was previously the DA’s shadow minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs.

Chris Pappas

Kotzé said that there is some talk about the DA mayor of uMngeni in KwaZulu-Natal, Chris Pappas, potentially entering the race.

However, Kotzé says that he does not believe that Pappas is a potential candidate. 

“He is too low-key. He’s very successful in his own environment in KwaZulu-Natal, but he doesn’t have a national profile,” he said. 

“He’s known in his own context, and he is successful there, but for this position, you would need more of a national profile and to be active in the DA itself. He is not in that situation.”

Pappas is one of the youngest mayors in South Africa and is fluent in both isiZulu and English. He is also the first DA mayor in KwaZulu-Natal. 

He started his political career as president of the student representative council at the University of Pretoria, where he studied town and regional planning. He was also a graduate of the DA Young Leaders Programme.

He has served as a councillor in eThekwini, as well as a DA member of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature and has been the DA KZN spokesperson on agriculture.