Geordin Hill-Lewis’ plan with anti-white laws and BEE in South Africa

DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said they are the party of meritocracy and have campaigned against race quotas and race-based definitions in law.

He shared his views on South Africa’s race-based laws and BEE during a discussion at the 2026 Biznews Conference at the Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensberg.

A conference delegate, who studies overseas, said that he was concerned about job security in South Africa because of anti-white laws.

He asked whether he believed in meritocracy and what the future of race-based policies, such as black economic empowerment (BEE), would look like under the DA.

Hill-Lewis said that they continue to campaign against race quotas and race definitions in law and actively fight them in the government.

“We seek to remove race laws whenever legally possible in the governments we lead,” he said in response to a question about the issue.

“We have pushed this agenda significantly in Cape Town and other areas where the Democratic Alliance is in power.”

He added that the DA has released an alternative empowerment plan that genuinely empowers poor and poverty-stricken South Africans.

“We have no problem stating that we truly want to see black South Africans living in poverty uplifted with proper life opportunities,” he said.

“However, we don’t need to do so on the basis of race. We have released a comprehensive plan for how to achieve this, which is available online.”

“As far as I know, we are the only party actually attempting to implement this in government with an established track record.”

He added that removing race-based laws is needed to make the country attractive enough for skilled South Africans to return home.

“Moving away from race-based complexity is essential to rebuilding the economy and state institutions over the next 10 to 15 years,” he said.

Hill-Lewis said the DA’s policy is to always appoint the best people that they can find for management positions, rather than basing appointments on other criteria.

He cited the DA’s Young Leaders Program, described as a decade-long investment in human capital where individuals are not parachuted into positions.

“These leaders must build their own constituencies and win internal elections to gain credibility, rather than being appointed through top-down shortcuts,” he said.