Tony Leon Endorses Geordin Hill-Lewis as DA Leader Amid Steenhuisen's Exit
- Former DA leader Tony Leon endorsed Geordin Hill-Lewis as a potential successor to DA leader John Steenhuisen
- This comes after Steenhuisen announced that he will not campaign for a third term
- Speculation grows around DA leadership with frontrunners Hill-Lewis and Msimanga ahead of the elective conference
Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.
Source: Twitter
Former Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon has weighed in on whether Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has the credentials to lead the party. This comes after Democratic Alliance President John Steenhuisen confirmed that he will not campaign for a third term as the party prepares for its upcoming elections.
Hill-Lewis to be an effective leader of the party
Steenhuisen announced during a press briefing in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on 4 February 2026. During the briefing, he criticised a potential coalition between the Economic Freedom Fighters and the MK Party in KwaZulu-Natal. He warned that violence would become the order of the day if the so-called 'Doomsday Alliance' came into power.
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Leon addressed the issue during an interview on Newzroom Afrika after Hill-Lewis emerged as one of the names being discussed as a possible successor. Leon said he had known Hill-Lewis since his school years and rated his political and personal abilities highly. He described Hill-Lewis as a strong talent and said he believed the Cape Town mayor would be an effective leader of the party and beyond the political arena. Leon said Hill-Lewis had an unusual and appropriate skill set.
Candidates to prove themselves worthy
Leon added that any leader still needed to earn support. He said even in cases where leadership appeared uncontested, candidates had to prove themselves worthy of the responsibility, whether chosen through an election or unanimously. He said speculation around the DA’s leadership had intensified ahead of the party’s elective conference. According to Leon, two names had emerged as frontrunners at this stage: Gauteng opposition leader Solly Msimanga and Hill-Lewis.
DA members told The Mercury that Msimanga and Hill-Lewis had been mentioned, but stressed that the leadership contest remained open. Other figures linked to the leadership discussion include Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi.
Source: Twitter
Other DA-related stories
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has suffered a setback in the Western Cape after the Patriotic Alliance (PA) won two wards from the party in by-elections held in George on Thursday, 22 January 2026. The by-elections in the Garden Route town followed the resignation of three DA councillors in 2025. Another by-election is scheduled to take place in George in February 2026.
Tensions are allegedly rising within the Democratic Alliance after the party cleared leader John Steenhuisen of wrongdoing related to his use of a DA-issued credit card. Multiple party sources have criticised the Democratic Alliance’s Federal Legal Commission (FLC) for exonerating Steenhuisen, arguing that the process lacked independence and fairness.
DA leadership race heats up
In another article, Briefly News reported that the Democratic Alliance (DA) will host its Federal Congress in April 2026, where the party's leadership will be decided.
Sources within the party believe that it's time for new leadership and want John Steenhuisen to be replaced by someone else.
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Source: Briefly News
