{"id":97222,"date":"2026-04-13T14:59:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T14:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-da-leader-warns-of-major-threat-to-government"},"modified":"2026-04-13T15:20:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T15:20:51","slug":"new-da-leader-warns-of-major-threat-to-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-da-leader-warns-of-major-threat-to-government","title":{"rendered":"New DA Leader Warns of Major Threat to Government"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Africa. <\/strong><\/span>The new leader of South Africa\u2019s second-biggest political party expects the stability of the nation\u2019s coalition government to be put to the test when its larger rival holds internal elections next year.<\/p>\n

The vote within the African National Congress \u201cis a moment of profound risk,\u201d Geordin Hill-Lewis, who was elected leader of the Democratic Alliance at the weekend, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fights will be incredibly bitter and we will have to reassess what it means for the coalition government and for the country thereafter,\u201d he said. Play Video<\/p>\n

The DA joined the co-called government of national unity in 2024, after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since apartheid ended three decades earlier, taking up three seats in President Cyril Ramaphosa\u2019s cabinet.<\/p>\n

While the formation of the business-friendly administration has cheered investors, internal relations have been fraught, with its two main members sparring over policy and appointments.<\/p>\n

Ramaphosa is expected to step down as party leader in 2027 and of the country in 2029. His deputy, Paul Mashatile, and ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula are considered among the frontrunners to succeed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sincerely hope that there emerges a leadership that is able to see the bigger picture of what is right for South Africa,\u201d said Hill-Lewis, 39, who is also the mayor of Cape Town \u2014 a post he intends to retain.<\/p>\n

He sees it as highly unlikely that the DA will be able to negotiate more cabinet posts during the current administration\u2019s tenure.<\/p>\n

The DA won 22% support in the country\u2019s last national vote and aims to become the biggest party in 2029. That will require a significant increase in its backing among a predominantly Black electorate that has largely shunned a party that has previously had a largely White leadership.<\/p>\n

The first key test for Hill-Lewis will come in municipal elections that are expected to take place later this year and will gauge whether the DA is managing to capitalize on public anger over a collapse of water provision and other basic services in ANC-run municipalities.<\/p>\n

One key battleground will be Johannesburg, the nation\u2019s economic hub, where former DA leader Helen Zille is running for mayor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe old, very stuck racial silos of our politics are starting to break down,\u201d Hill-Lewis said. \u201cA growing majority of South Africans are just sick and tired of seeing every every basic service, every state function, every state department eroded and dilapidated through corruption and mismanagement. And so the tide really is turning.\u201d<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About South-Africa<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Africa. The new leader of South Africa\u2019s second-biggest political party expects the stability of the nation\u2019s coalition government to be put to the test when its larger rival holds internal elections next year. The vote within the African National Congress \u201cis a moment of profound risk,\u201d Geordin Hill-Lewis, who was elected leader of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":97220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,12],"tags":[275],"class_list":["post-97222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-policy","tag-south-africa-2"],"yoast_head":"\nNew DA Leader Warns of Major Threat to Government - South Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The new leader of South Africa\u2019s second-biggest political party expects the stability of the nation\u2019s coalition governme ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-da-leader-warns-of-major-threat-to-government\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New DA Leader Warns of Major Threat to Government\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The new leader of South Africa\u2019s second-biggest political party expects the stability of the nation\u2019s coalition governme ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-da-leader-warns-of-major-threat-to-government\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T14:59:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T15:20:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/sm_1776081005.367039.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-da-leader-warns-of-major-threat-to-government#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-da-leader-warns-of-major-threat-to-government\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"New DA Leader Warns of Major Threat to Government\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-13T14:59:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-13T15:20:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-da-leader-warns-of-major-threat-to-government\"},\"wordCount\":441,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-da-leader-warns-of-major-threat-to-government#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/sm_1776081005.367039.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"South-Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-da-leader-warns-of-major-threat-to-government#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-da-leader-warns-of-major-threat-to-government\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-da-leader-warns-of-major-threat-to-government\",\"name\":\"New DA Leader Warns of Major Threat to Government - 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