Hill-Lewis pitches DA service delivery record at final national rally
Democratic Alliance leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has asked voters to give the party a stronger mandate in municipalities, using its record in Cape Town to argue that it can improve services and create conditions for employment. Speaking at the DA’s final national rally in Mamelodi, Tshwane, on Saturday, 31 October, Hill-Lewis called on South Africans to […]
Democratic Alliance leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has asked voters to give the party a stronger mandate in municipalities, using its record in Cape Town to argue that it can improve services and create conditions for employment.
Speaking at the DA’s final national rally in Mamelodi, Tshwane, on Saturday, 31 October, Hill-Lewis called on South Africans to vote in the 4 November local government elections and support the party in more towns and cities.
He said municipalities needed competent appointments, action against corruption, infrastructure repairs and basic services. He also appealed to people who had not previously voted for the DA, saying their decision would not be taken for granted.
The DA leader pointed to Cape Town’s spending on infrastructure and services for poorer residents and claimed the city had outperformed the three Gauteng metros combined. He also claimed Cape Town accounted for one in two new jobs created in South African cities. These were campaign claims made by Hill-Lewis; the figures were not independently verified for this report.
Hill-Lewis said the DA was close to overtaking the African National Congress nationally, while acknowledging that the goal was a stretch and depended on voter support. The outcome will be determined by ballots cast and counted in the local government elections.
The contest will determine the makeup of municipal councils responsible for services including water, sanitation, electricity distribution and refuse collection. The Electoral Commission says special voting takes place on 2 and 3 November, ahead of voting day on 4 November.