Mayor of Cape Town Geordin Hill-Lewis. Photo: Supplied
Minutes after Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen announced that he would not be contesting the position of party leader later this year, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis told his Cape caucus that he was seriously considering contesting for the position.
In a leaked message to his caucus in Cape Town, which the Mail & Guardian has seen, Hill-Lewis said that whatever he decided to do, if he did stand as leader, he intended to remain mayor and “seek re-election shoulder to shoulder with all of you”.
In his message, Hill-Lewis said that although Steenhuisen’s announcement had been made minutes earlier, calls and WhatsApp messages were flooding in, asking about his intentions.
“By now you will have seen or heard the news that John has announced that he will not stand for re-election as party leader,” the message read.
“Before I answer anyone else, I need to speak to you first. I want you to know that I am seriously considering today’s announcement and my next steps.
“I am incredibly proud of this team and what we’ve achieved together. This is the DA’s biggest government and our strongest platform. I still feel very inspired by our mission in Cape Town. And you are quite a lekker bunch of people to work with,” he said.