The GNU needs a “turbocharge”, says Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, clearly frustrated by the lack of urgency he has seen in his dealings with the national government.
He strongly believes the GNU in its current form is by far the best governing arrangement for the country — but is worried that it is not moving fast enough to address the multiple crises facing the country. “Yes, we are gradually heading in the right direction and there are a few encouraging signs, but the thing missing in the GNU is urgency,” he says.
“For a country with 40% unemployment and so many millions living in poverty, we desperately need growth. Our public finances are dire, and the police and education are crying out for more resources. It’s not good enough to say that reforms are going to take another five years or whatever. That is what frustrates me greatly. We must turbocharge it.”
At 39, Hill-Lewis has been punted as a rising star in South African politics — he is energetic and clearly passionate about the country. In an interview at his office in Cape Town, the conversation turns to his first term as mayor. He immediately lights up, visibly excited as he explains that all the major infrastructure projects he set out to accomplish during his first term will be coming on stream in 2026.
While unintentional, the timing is impeccable, because the expected achievement is set to coincide with the local government elections, which must take place before the end of January 2027.
When he took office in 2021, Hill-Lewis committed to “pressing down the accelerator on infrastructure investment”. It is the one area where all metros have been battling, with consequences for service delivery and quality of life.
Projects are often delayed, as they are generally large and complex, requiring detailed planning — and just as often, in some metros, they become mired in corruption and controversy.
Hill-Lewis says all the projects he set out to complete by the end of his term are “in flight. Every single one, and that’s a very satisfying feeling. Not one of them has fallen by the wayside. In March, we will literally break ground on the last major infrastructure project that I set out to do, the Macassar wastewater treatment works. That’s worth R3.5bn.”
For a country with 40% unemployment and so many millions living in poverty, we desperately need growth
— Geordin Hill-Lewis
The net effect of his push on infrastructure in his first term is that in his second term, if he is re-elected, he will be in a different position from any other metro mayor. “We are not taking our foot off the gas, but it does mean that you’re not constantly feeling like you’re desperately trying to play catch-up.”
His attention will turn to urban management in the upcoming term, the “smaller aspects of management in the public realm” in the city. “Then where I want to go is to infrastructure upgrades in informal settlements. We’ve worked on the really big stuff, the large bulk infrastructure. Now we’re going to spend about R900m on street-level infrastructure, just in Langa over the next three or four years. That’s water and sewer pipe upgrades, bigger roads, walking paths.”
However, one thing that could shift in the coming year, even before the local elections, is Hill-Lewis’s position in the DA. He has been punted as a potential leader and is undoubtedly among the party’s most popular public figures.
The DA heads to its elective conference in April this year. Hill-Lewis remains adamant that he will not run for the DA leadership as long as incumbent John Steenhuisen remains in the race.
But there has been a change in the DA since Hill-Lewis first articulated that position a year ago. Steenhuisen has been embroiled in a bitter and very public feud with former DA MP Dion George. The leaks and counterleaks in this factional fight led to embarrassing revelations for Steenhuisen, including details around his personal finances.
Still, Hill-Lewis says the furore has not shifted his position about contesting the leadership post. “John took over when it was a rough time for the DA. There was a lot of instability, and he brought calm and clarity. He’s got a rough press. That’s not to say I’m not interested in the leadership. I’ve been open about it that I am — but I am still committed that I won’t run as long as he’s running.”
It’s a tricky situation for the DA. It needs urgency in its political growth strategy. Its electoral support has stabilised, but the party is not growing at the pace required to strengthen its hand in future coalition negotiations and governments, locally and nationally.
It all boils down to whether Steenhuisen is willing to let go of the reins and allow others to take a shot at ushering in real growth for the DA, which would entail bursting through the 20%-23% ceiling of the national vote that it has been bumping against for a decade.
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