Newly minted DA federal leader, Geordin Hill-Lewis, says he loves being the mayor of Cape Town because he is able to deal directly with service delivery-related issues.
He was speaking in Cape Town on Tuesday, where his party announced their mayoral candidates for the Western Cape in preparation for the upcoming local government elections.
He said that after his election as party leader at the DA’s congress, he went to communities across Gauteng to gauge the issues that ordinary people face daily.
“It’s an interesting thing, every concern that you hear from residents nearly every concern relates to a local government matter. This is why I love being a mayor so much, it is such a great job in South African politics because you can address those concerns directly,” he said.
How will Hill-Lewis lead the DA?
Hill-Lewis has been criticised for his decision to remain in local government politics while leading the party at the national level.
“Its probably better for the DA and for the government of national unity that there is some healthy distance between myself and the cabinet so that I am free to speak openly, speak my mind about what I think is going on there and what needs to happen there and that I do not owe the president any sense of loyalty,” he told the Daily Maverick.
Meanwhile, in his address to the newly announced mayoral candidates, Hill-Lewis told them not to copy the party that the DA is trying to remove. This was a veiled attack on the ANC, which is the DA’s main opponent.
“We expect our governments to hold themselves to an unmistakably high standard of governance. We do not want anyone to look at a DA government and not be able to tell the difference between those we are trying to replace and us.
“They must be unmistakable, unashamed, undeniably different and better, a higher ethical standard, a higher moral code, honest with public funds, a good steward of the resources that have been placed in our responsibility,” he said.
Hill-Lewis said all DA public representatives must ensure that the public benefits inclusively from their leadership.
“Whether they vote for us or not, we govern well for everyone. Everyone must feel the quality-of-life improvements, the opportunity improvements from having the DA in government, and they must be able to see the DA difference tangibly.
“We care about doing the basics well, we invest in things that make cities and towns work rather than governing for ourselves while watching those cities and towns break,” he said.
