DA kicks off election campaign with first tranche of mayoral candidates for Western Cape
While the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has yet to announce the date for the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE), the DA has already kicked off its election campaign, announcing its first tranche of mayoral candidates for the Western Cape.
The announcement, delivered by DA Federal Leader John Steenhuisen, DA Federal Chairperson Dr Ivan Meyer, DA Western Cape Leader Tertuis Simmers, and DA Western Cape Chairperson Jaco Londt, saw eight of the party’s candidates for the province announced.
Simmers said that the rest of the candidates will be announced in three batches until the end of March, with the City of Cape Town’s mayoral candidate having its own announcement.
The party is still busy with interviews for the City of Cape Town mayoral position, though current Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis did post on social media that he remains “committed to stand for a second term as the mayor of Cape Town”.
“It is the DA’s biggest government and our strongest platform as we head into the local elections,” Hill-Lewis posted on X.
Thursday’s announcement saw the party announce its candidates in Beaufort West, Central Karoo District, Hessequa, Kannaland, Laingsburg, Overberg District, Cape Winelands District, and Knysna municipalities.
After John Steenhuisen’s announcement yesterday, I have been approached by many party members to stand for the position of Federal Leader.
The DA’s internal campaign rules stipulate that public campaigning may only begin when the nomination period opens. That will happen later…
— Geordin Hill-Lewis (@geordinhl) February 5, 2026
Meyer said the process began in March last year, where, throughout the first phase of the selection process, the candidates were given a real-life scenario affecting their municipality, and they had to present their solution to the DA’s selection panel.
“We are selecting candidates who are capable, competent, and who understand their local communities. All politics are local, and candidates must be familiar with their local issues like water, sanitation, refuse collection, public transport, as well as housing and health matters in their local communities,” Meyer said.
“We are looking for what we call servant leadership, who are on the ground with residents. The candidates that we will present here today by our provincial leadership are people who went through a thorough selection process.
“As I stand here today, I want to ensure the citizens of the Western Cape that we have selected mayoral candidates who are fit for purpose,” Meyer said.
The mayoral candidates announced were:
- Beaufort West: Gina Duimpies
- Cape Winelands District: Antoinette Steyn
- Central Karoo District: October Haarvoor
- Hessequa: Gerald Boezak
- Kannaland: Joslyn Johnson
- Knysna: Levael Davis
- Laingsburg: Aletta Theron
- Overberg District: Dr Annelie Rabie
Steenhuisen said that when it comes to the LGE, it is about getting the basics right, which the DA has repeatedly demonstrated.
“Electricity in your homes, water in your taps, refuse collected on time, roads maintained, and communities respected. Sadly, this is not the story in many parts of the rest of South Africa.
“It is very easy to arrive on a doorstep with promises of all sorts of things that are put before voters. It’s another thing entirely to deliver that. And so I would call upon voters, when making their choice, to examine the promises made and then ask where the record of action is in each of those. Because that is the DA’s unique selling proposition: a record of action and a promise of a lot more. And we cannot afford to lose ground,” Steenhuisen said.
Meyer added that each mayoral candidate will now go back to their towns, walk the streets, listen to the residents, and put the DA offer on the table.
“They will also go out to listen with empathy and make an emotional connection with the residents. They will not only speak to DA voters but to all residents in their towns. We do this because we want to listen to all the citizens, especially those with opposing views,” Meyer said.
theolin.tembo@inl.co.za