Eastern Cape DA leader Andrew Whitfield has come out as the first of the party’s provincial heavyweights to endorse Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to succeed John Steenhuisen.
Whitfield, who was re-elected uncontested this week as provincial leader, told the Sunday Times: “I think it’s always useful in these internal contestations to see who puts their hands up. I see that Geordin has indicated he’s strongly considering it, and I think that would be wonderful, and we’ll see who else puts their hands up.”
Hill-Lewis has indicated that he is considering running for the party’s highest position following Steenhuisen’s declaration that he will not stand for re-election at the party’s elective conference in April.
Whitfield, who has also been approached to run for a federal position, said that he is considering doing so. He declined to specify which post it was.
The former GNU deputy minister of trade, industry & competition said the DA needed a “strong, stable leader to take over from John… [who] will also be able to navigate the complexity of the new political environment”.
“And that complexity, very simply put, is being a party of national government in a coalition, a party of provincial government in a coalition, a party of coalition at the local level in more than 30 municipalities, and potentially some more.”
In addition to its role in the government of national unity, the DA is also part of the majority coalition in KwaZulu-Natal.
Whitfield said the new DA leader had to have governance experience and a strong track record in the party.
“I think a high level of emotional intelligence is absolutely critical in this very difficult environment, where political parties need to balance their own prospects for success and growth against the need for the country to have a level of stability to grow. And I suppose this is always the tug of war.
“What I think is most important is someone who can build relationships across party lines to strengthen the rational centre of South African politics, while at the same time ensuring that the DA’s voice and the DA’s policies are heard loud and clear and become a more integral part of governments where we are in coalitions.”
Whitfield praised Steenhuisen’s achievements since he took over from Mmusi Maimane, particularly during the GNU negotiations in 2024.
“I think that we always underestimate the complexity of the roles we take on in government, and those roles often need your 100% focus. And so I think that someone like Geordin, who is the mayor of a very big city, I really believe that he is someone who possesses those skills and attributes that could put the DA into a new growth trajectory going forward to 2029.”
I really believe that he is someone who possesses those skills and attributes that could put the DA into a new growth trajectory going forward to 2029
Whitfield, who President Cyril Ramaphosa fired from the cabinet after he made an unsanctioned trip to the US last year, said he had moved on.
“I came back to my province to rebuild and get the party focused on what it needs to focus on. I’m not bitter about [his cabinet dismissal] … There were a lot of phone calls during that time where people tried to weaponise the situation to their advantage. And I think the most important thing in that particular moment was what is good for the country and what is good for the party.”
Some within the DA have been debating whether Steenhuisen’s successor should be a member of the GNU cabinet.
Hill-Lewis has already indicated that he would stick to his post as mayor if he was elected, and Whitfield said he supported this. A leader who was outside the government could provide impartial advice, direction and leadership. “It’s sometimes useful, because when you’re in something, you can’t see everything, and when you’re outside something, maybe you see things that others don’t. And I think that could be useful.”
He criticised his former DA colleague Dion George, who resigned from the party after Steenhuisen removed him from his post as minister of forestry, fisheries & the environment.
“I was fired. I took interviews for 72 hours. I didn’t badmouth the DA. I didn’t badmouth the president. I put the project first. Unfortunately, other members, when they are removed from a position, behave a different way.
“I think that my conduct and Dion’s conduct juxtapose quite perfectly the different paths that people can take... I haven’t spoken to him since he was removed.”
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