Sibusiso Dyonase, a candidate for federal leader of the DA at this weekend’s party congress, has framed his bid as an effort to uphold internal democratic processes and reposition the party around grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
While Geordin Hill-Lewis is widely expected to secure the leadership, Dyonase told Business Day his decision to contest is not directed against the Cape Town mayor but rather motivated by principle.
“It is not OK for a democratic party like the Democratic Alliance to have just one person,” Dyonase said in an interview. “I am not fighting him, but I am practising the democratic process.”
The contest follows the decision by John Steenhuisen to step down as DA leader, opening the race before a congress that is expected to shape the party’s trajectory in the government of national unity (GNU) and into the next electoral cycle.
Dyonase, who has spent 15 years in the party, argued that his leadership experience at grassroots-level positions him to expand the DA’s support base beyond its traditional constituencies. “I have connected with my people for 15 years … I can go to all the villages in South Africa,” he said.
He emphasised that the party’s immediate priority should be rebuilding and strengthening local structures, particularly as the DA prepares for the 2026 municipal elections.
“The local government is the grassroots of government. That is where government actually connects with the people,” he said, adding that national leaders should “come from parliament and go down … to our communities”.
Dyonase argued that while the DA’s entry into the GNU marked a significant political shift, the party risks losing touch with voters if it does not intensify its on-the-ground presence. “There are a lot of people that do not know the message of the Democratic Alliance,” he said. “We need to go to our people and resonate with them.”
On internal party dynamics, Dyonase rejected suggestions that race should play a determining role in leadership selection, insisting that positions in the DA are earned through performance and accountability. “In the Democratic Alliance, we are not a racial party. People need to work for the position that they will occupy,” he said.
He also credited Steenhuisen with leading the party into the national government, describing his tenure as a period of growth and consolidation. “We are now a party of government … he has done his best to deliver us to where we are right now,” Dyonase said, adding that he will seek to build on that foundation if elected.
Addressing his prospects against a more widely backed opponent, Dyonase acknowledged Geordin Hill-Lewis’ popularity in the party but cautioned against reducing the leadership contest to a measure of support alone.
“Some of them might not support me. Some of them might be supporting me, but at the end of the day, it is not about a certain leader,” he said. “We will have to work together, come together, unite ourselves … in understanding the core vision of the Democratic Alliance, to be the biggest party in South Africa and deliver good governance to our people.”
He added that internal elections should ultimately strengthen cohesion in the party rather than deepen divisions. “It is not a popularity contest,” he said.
Dyonase said his message to delegates before the congress is to approach the vote with openness and a focus on the party’s future.
“I’m looking forward to this congress … all the delegates must come with open minds and understand that we are leaders in different capacities, with different potential,” he said. “Let’s vote for who we think will do better for the Democratic Alliance going forward.”
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