City of Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis addressing the Cape Town Press Club. Picture: Supplied
Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis declared his loyalty to DA federal leader John Steenhuisen and said that he will not stand against him if he will be vying for the top post at the party’s next conference.
“Let me be as unambiguous as possible I can be. I am personally very loyal to John. He is a dear friend of mine and I have absolutely no intention of standing against him as long he wants to stand,” Hill-Lewis said.
“I am certainly not going to stand against him. There is no universe in which that is possible, that will not happen. I hope that is unambiguous,” he said when answering questions at the Cape Town Press Club on Thursday.
Hill-Lewis made his statement hours after the party’s federal chairperson Ivan Meyer sought to lay to rest speculation in the leadership race in the DA and a possible early congress.
Meyer said they will hold an elective congress, at least every three years, in April 2026.
Weekend reports suggested that Steenhuisen could face a contest from candidates aligned to federal council chairperson Helen Zille.
Hill-Lewis was reportedly touted as the likely candidate to oust Steenhuisen.
In a statement, Meyer said there was misguided speculation regarding a possible early elective congress to elect new leadership before the expiry of the current three-year term.
He explained that the DA constitution prescribes an elective congress at least every three years.
“The party’s last congress was in April 2023, and the next one is scheduled on the DA calendar for April 2026.”
Meyer also said it was his constitutional duty to convene congresses on the basis of this time-frame.
“The DA constitution also requires that the DA hold a policy conference, comprising an extended Federal Council, at least a year before a general election.
“The DA’s calendar over the next two years, includes all these constitutionally prescribed markers,” he said.
He said media speculation suggesting otherwise has no foundation in any decision-making structure of the party.
“I am determined to implement the provisions of the federal constitution and end media speculation about an early federal congress,” Meyer added.
However, when Hill-Lewis was initially asked whether he was open to participate in leadership succession in any position and where he saw himself in the next two years, he said he loved his current job.
“It is extremely fulfilling. It is very intellectually stimulating and challenging. I really am not interested in looking for other work at this time,” he said.
“I am not ruling it out for the future. At this time, to be honest, the question does not even arise because there is no conference any time soon. There is a leader who has my full support. John has my full support and so the question does not rise. For now, I am very happy and very keen to do another term,” he said in his initial response.
Earlier in his address, Hill-Lewis told his audience that he was deeply privileged and blessed to be in his current job.
“I love this work and experience it as sincerely fulfilling and meaningful. In fact, I feel that even more now than I did when I started, because I’ve seen that a few simple if ambitious ideas, put into action, can really deliver tangible progress in people’s lives,” he said.
“I am not at all certain that the stasis and calcification of the state at the national level can be shaken loose enough to even come close to achieving the meaningful change that we can and are achieving in a well-functioning city,” Hill-Lewis added.
Cape Times