DA’s Hill-Lewis: Polling suggests coalition governance more likely than controlling all metros

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said while his party is going all out to gain control over the country’s eight metro municipalities, polling suggests a scenario of coalition governance is more likely.

On Tuesday, the party announced 11 more mayoral candidates that will contest elections in many of its traditional strongholds in the Western Cape, including Stellenbosch and Paarl.

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Hill-Lewis is up against one other candidate to run for a second term as Cape Town mayor and no outcome has yet been announced for the race to lead the party’s flagship metro.

The DA’s newly elected leader said he’s still finding his feet in balancing his mayoral duties with that of party leadership.

Hill-Lewis has given the party’s third batch of mayoral candidates in the Western Cape, some of whom are already serving in that capacity, their marching orders.

“They must be unmistakable, unashamed, undeniably different, and better. A higher ethical standard, a higher moral code, honest with public funds.”

Hill-Lewis said while attaining an outright majority is always the goal in any election, failing that, the party wants the electoral outcome to still put it in the driving seat.

“Our job over the next seven months or so is to get as close as possible to that magic majority number and maximise our votes, so we can have the strongest possible negotiating position when it comes to coalition negotiations.”

The party has now announced 26 of its 30 mayoral candidates in the Western Cape.