Staff Reporter
Democratic Alliance (DA) federal leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has told delegates in KwaZulu-Natal that the party must fight to win Durban in the local government elections, saying eThekwini could recover only if voters chose a party with a record of governing well.
Speaking at the DA’s provincial congress, which started at the Olive Convention Centre on Durban’s north beach precinct on Saturday, Hill-Lewis said the party’s task in the province was now “bigger than opposition” as South Africa prepares for local elections on 4 November.
“Our task is to become the governing alternative in this province. The biggest party in this province,” Hill-Lewis said.
He said KZN would be a key test of whether the DA could grow beyond its existing base and govern in complex coalition arrangements while remaining“principled, disciplined, and clear about what it stands for”.
KZN is governed by a narrow IFP-led provincial unity coalition, which the ANC, DA and NFP formed after the 2024 national election left Jacob Zuma’s MK Party as the biggest party in the legislature but short of a majority.
The DA governs uMngeni Municipality, which Hill-Lewis said was proof that the party could win and run municipalities in the province.
“We must retain and grow where we already govern. We must show that uMngeni is not an exception, but a beginning,” he said. “uMngeni is proof that the DA can govern in KwaZulu-Natal and govern well.”
But Hill-Lewis placed the most focus on eThekwini, saying Durban should be “one of the great cities of Africa” and a centre of growth, tourism, trade and port-led development.
“We must fight for Durban. We must fight for eThekwini with everything we have,” he said. “Durban does not need another empty promise. Durban needs to move forward.”
He said the DA would tell residents that “this city can work”.
“Your beaches can be clean, taps can run reliably, and your streets can be safe.”
Hill-Lewis also said the party would have to connect more deeply with voters who had not supported it before, particularly in townships, rural communities, churches, taxi ranks, farms, factories, campuses and community halls.
“We must not ask people to come to us first. We must go to them,” he said.
Hill-Lewis said the government of provincial unity showed the DA was willing to enter “difficult spaces” to contribute to stability and reform.
But he also said that coalition politics should not mean abandoning party values.
“It must never mean becoming silent in the face of corruption. It must never mean protecting failure. It must never mean trading principle for position.”
He also called for reforms in policing, saying capable provincial and local governments should be given investigative powers and access to crime intelligence to fight gangs, extortion rackets, and syndicates.
“When people give the DA their vote we will lock up the criminals in SAPS so SAPS can lock up the criminals on the street,” he said. “We will nail ’em and jail ’em”.
Hill-Lewis said the DA wanted “the corrupt cops out of SAPS”.
“We must end SAPS capture, because we cannot expect SAPS to get criminals off the streets while criminals remain inside SAPS.”
INSIDE POLITICS
