Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has told his caucus he is “seriously considering” running for DA leader after John Steenhuisen announced he would not seek re-election.
Steenhuisen confirmed on Wednesday that he will not seek a third term as DA leader, telling supporters in Durban he will now focus entirely on his role as minister of agriculture.
The DA leader said the demands of addressing South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak make it untenable to simultaneously lead the party through an internal election cycle.
In his address, Steenhuisen framed his departure as the conclusion of a long-term strategic project rather than a retreat.
“To actually get there, a leader was required who would do the hard work of converting the DA from a party of mere opposition into a governing force,” he said, arguing that the party’s entry into national government after the 2024 election marked a decisive turning point.
Listen: DA leader John Steenhuisen addresses the media
He said the DA’s move towards coalition politics was deliberate, noting that the party choses to “mature into a party that gets stuck in to fix the country we all love”, rather than remain a permanent opposition.
He warned that internal instability could jeopardise the GNU, cautioning that factional manoeuvring risks opening space for a populist alternative hostile to constitutional governance.
He did not take questions from the media following the announcement.
The contest to succeed him has formally begun, placing the party at a crossroads as it navigates an internal transition while remaining a key partner in the GNU.
Hill-Lewis has served as mayor since 2021 after a decade in parliament and governs the DA’s most secure metropolitan stronghold with a stable majority. His record has focused on infrastructure investment, fiscal discipline and administrative continuity.
In a WhatsApp message seen by Business Day’s sister newspaper Sunday Times, Hill-Lewis said even though he is thinking about running for the top position at the DA congress in April, he still wants to remain Cape Town mayor.
Hill-Lewis said he is “incredibly proud” of this team and what they have achieved together.
“This is the DA’s biggest government and our strongest platform. And I still feel very inspired by our mission in Cape Town. And you are quite a lekker bunch of people to work with.”
While the race for the new DA leader is now open, senior party officials contacted on Wednesday said it is still “premature to draw conclusions”.
One DA leader, who declined to be named, said Steenhuisen’s decision has “expanded the field”, creating space for figures who may previously have opted out to reconsider their positions.
Another frequently mentioned name is that of Siviwe Gwarube, currently minister of basic education. Gwarube entered parliament in 2019 and previously served as the DA’s chief whip and national spokesperson.
She is among the most senior younger figures in the party and holds a portfolio central to service delivery reform.
Solly Msimanga, the DA’s Gauteng provincial leader and a former mayor of Tshwane, is also cited in internal discussions. He brings provincial leadership experience in a competitive electoral province and a record of coalition governance at the municipal level.
Another possible contender is Chris Pappas, the mayor of uMngeni in KwaZulu-Natal. Pappas rose to prominence after leading the DA to an outright majority in the municipality in 2021 and is frequently cited within the party as evidence of its efforts to broaden its appeal beyond traditional bases, though he has not publicly indicated leadership ambitions.
Speaking to Business Day, political analyst Lukhona Mnguni said Steenhuisen’s decision marks a late-stage reversal for an incumbent leader who had signalled his availability for another term.
He noted that the transition appears far more controlled than previous DA leadership exits. He said the party is clearly seeking to avoid a repeat of the divisions that followed Mmusi Maimane’s departure ahead of the 2021 local government elections.
Mnguni cautioned that a tightly managed succession could conceal unresolved internal tensions as the DA heads towards the 2026 local government elections, when its ability to convert governing power into electoral growth will again be tested.
Attention has now turned to potential successors, though senior party figures emphasise that formal nomination processes are still weeks away. Provincial conferences will first nominate candidates ahead of the DA’s federal congress scheduled for April.
Beyond internal dynamics, analysts say Steenhuisen’s exit has broader implications for the DA’s position within the GNU.
‘Uncharted waters’
Ongama Mtimka said that the decision places the party in “uncharted waters” as it recalibrates the relationship between party leadership and executive power.
Mtimka said having the DA leader in the GNU enabled coherence between party and state, allowing for smoother decision-making and discipline around coalition compromises.
He warned that removing the faction that spearheaded the GNU from the centre of party leadership could open pressure to revisit or renegotiate key agreements, increasing the risk of internal agitation over continued participation in government.
As Steenhuisen exits the leadership race while remaining in cabinet, the DA faces a complex test: managing succession without destabilising its governing role and choosing a leader capable of rallying the party behind the practical demands of coalition power.
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