The DA, this past weekend, elected a set of new leaders, emerging with a new cohort in their early thirties, early forties and mid-forties.
It’s a bunch of millennials, with its new incumbent, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, only due to turn 40 in December.
The move marks a generational shift for the party that was formed 26 years ago. It’s also an opportunity for the party to press a reset button and forge a new and improved relationship with voters, especially in the black community.
There is no denying that the DA is unlikely to break through its 22% vote ceiling unless it grows support among black voters. It was therefore not surprising to see Hill-Lewis, fresh from his election on Sunday, going to Johannesburg’s biggest township, Soweto, on Monday to woo voters.
It demonstrates the extent to which he understands the importance of growing the party’s support, if it’s serious about being the biggest party in the country’s main metro municipalities.
From there, he proceeded to some of Pretoria’s most vibrant townships — Laudium, the predominantly Indian area, and Atteridgeville, which is largely black.
If what played out in the media is anything to go by, it would seem the DA may have just made the right choice in electing Hill-Lewis, given how communities have so far received him.
It marks a significant departure from the hostile relationship that existed between the biggest GNU partners when the blue machine was still under the leadership of John Steenhuisen.
In fact, party insiders indicated Hill-Lewis is likely to be spending a lot of time canvassing voters in Gauteng in particular, and other provinces north of the Western Cape.
The DA’s success in wooing black voters in upcoming polls will depend on several factors. The election of millenials is helptul though insufficient. The policies pursued by the party are also key, more so policies related to redress.
The Plettenberg Bay-born and Cape Town-raised Hill-Lewis comes across as affable, more relatable, and empathetic to the cause of black voters.
The same can be said about the kind of relationship he wants to form with the ANC, the biggest partner in the government of national unity. And, it would seem, the feeling is mutual in the higher echelons at both Luthuli House and the Union Buildings.
It’s small wonder that President Cyril Ramaphosa wasted no time in holding “a meet and greet” with Hill-Lewis on Tuesday. It marks a significant departure from the hostile relationship that existed between the biggest GNU partners when the blue machine was still under the leadership of John Steenhuisen.
It’s an opportunity for Hill-Lewis to grow his party’s support and show how serious they are about pulling the majority of black voters out of poverty and into meaningful jobs.
In his acceptance speech at the weekend, the man popularly referred to as “GHL” in DA circles, said he wants a “stronger DA for a stronger SA”.
Well, it’s now make or break! Let’s see what the “DA prince who was bound to be king” does with the crown.
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