IIllustrative image: Among the contenders for top leadership positions in the DA are: Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube (left), who is contesting the role of deputy federal chairperson; Deputy Minister of Finance Ashor Sarupen (centre), who is eyeing the post of chairperson of the Federal Council; and Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis (right), who is so far the only contender to take over from John Steehnuisen as party leader. (Photos: Luba Lesolle / Gallo Images | Misha Jordaan / Gallo Images | Grant Pitcher / Gallo Images | Image compiled by Daniella Lee Ming Yesca) In April, delegates of the Democratic Alliance (DA) will cast their votes at their elective congress to choose at least three new leaders. The incumbent party leader, John Steenhuisen, and the chair of the Federal Council, Helen Zille, will not be running for re-election. Of course, with Dion George’s fall-out and resignation from the party, the DA will have to look for a new financial chair.
Nominations officially opened on 27 February 2026, and Daily Maverick looked at some of the candidates who have been publicly nominated or announced as candidates.
Federal leader
So far, only Cape Town mayor and DA Western Cape deputy leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has put his hand up for the role. His pedigree is extensive. He formed the DA Students Organisation at the University of Cape Town, before working under then premier Zille, and he was an MP for a long time.
In 2021, he became the executive mayor of Cape Town.
Hill-Lewis’s name as a potential leader has been circling in the public domain in recent years – and it’s not hard to understand why. He’s affable, has a positive social media presence and is one of the most popular politicians. Within the DA, he’s respected as a leader.
Hill-Lewis announced his candidacy once nominations opened. At an event in Elsies River, he said the leadership race was an “opportunity for our party to renew itself again”.
/file/attachments/orphans/ED_5980201_401819.jpg "Mayor of Cape Town Geordin Hill-Lewis announces his candidacy for the top job in the DA, in Elsies River on 27 February 2026. (Photo: ER Lombard / Gallo Images)")
Federal chairperson
In this race, so far, there are two candidates – the incumbent, Dr Ivan Meyer, and Solly Msimanga.
Meyer officially entered the race on Thursday, 5 March. He’s a seasoned politician, having been one of the longest-serving members of the DA caucus in the Western Cape legislature. He’s also respected as the party’s federal chairperson.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ED_562827.jpg "Dr Ivan Meyer, the current DA federal chair, will stand for re-election. (Photo: Brenton Geach / Gallo Images)")
Gauteng’s Msimanga announced his candidacy on 27 February, after weighing up running for the DA’s top job. But as TimesLive reported, he’s running to replace Meyer instead. He said as a leader of the DA, he needed to ensure the party consolidates support and governs the parts of the country outside the Western Cape.
During the 2024 elections, the party garnered 6,961,361 votes or 21.81%, largely from voters in Western Cape, Northern Cape and Gauteng. If the party wants to control the government outright in 2029, it would need to not only defend its current voter base, but also increase support across the country.
Deputy federal chairperson (three positions)
This is one area where the race is heating up.
Two of the incumbents, Solly Malatsi (Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies) and Anroux Marais (Western Cape MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety), have indicated they want to run for re-election.
The new candidates who have put their names forward include popular Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube and Tshwane mayoral candidate and former MP Cilliers Brink.
/file/attachments/2988/ED_592352_127733.jpg "Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube. (Photo: Luba Lesolle / Gallo Images)")
Former Western Cape MEC for Health and former leader of the DA Women’s Network, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, is also running for this position.
Chairperson of the Federal Council
With Helen Zille running for mayor of the City of Johannesburg, the DA needs a new Federal Council chairperson. The role is similar to that of the ANC secretary-general; it requires organisational skills to keep the party intact.
So far, Zille’s first deputy, Ashor Sarupen, is the likely successor. Sarupen, the Deputy Minister of Finance, is an experienced campaigner having led the party’s 2021 local government campaign.
Another candidate is parliamentary House chairperson Werner Horn from the Free State.
Deputy chairperson of the Federal Council (three positions)
This race will see two incumbents run for re-election: Dr Annelie Lotriet, deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, and Thomas Walters, a member of the Western Cape legislature.
New contenders include Mbombo, popular national spokesperson Karabo Khakhau and Namakwaland Constituency chairperson Deonay Bali. The Western Cape MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport, Ricardo Mackenzie, has also put his name up.
Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith, confirmed to Daily Maverick on Friday that he would be running for this position too.
Federal finance chairperson
After Dion George’s massive fall-out with the DA last year, the party must elect a new federal finance chairperson.
According to News24, Erik Marais has put his name up for this role. Marais, who is currently an MP, joins his wife, Anroux, in running for a position in this congress.
This will be a key role to fill as the DA seeks to deploy all of its financial machinery not only for the upcoming local government polls but also for the 2029 general election.
Young and experienced enter the race
Hill-Lewis, Sarupen, Khakhau and Gwarube were recently mentioned in a list of Daily Maverick’s young leaders to watch.
Addressing the Cape Town Press Club, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson praised outgoing DA leader Steenhuisen’s leadership, particularly for mentoring younger leaders, including himself, Gwarube and Hill-Lewis.
DA congress spokesperson Nazley Sharif said: “It is very exciting that positions within the DA leadership are being highly contested. It shows that democracy and internal contestation is healthy in the DA, this is how democracy works. Anyone who is a DA member, regardless of age, is open to contest. The DA is the most diverse party in the country and not just based on race, but also in age and skills and leadership.”
What happens now?
Sharif explained the process. “The nominations for DA members to contest is open and will close at 11.59am on 23 March 2026.
“Once this is done, nominations received will be interrogated and vetted by the Federal Compliance Department of the DA, in consultation with the presiding officers of the Federal Congress and Federal Council elections.”
All candidates are required to uphold the party’s Standards of Conduct for Internal Elections. “The party accepts that campaigning for offices may be robust, but expects campaigns to be conducted in a way which is in the best interests of the Party and its supporters,” she said.
Once the process is concluded, the nominations will be published.
The congress, to be held on the weekend of 11 and 12 April, will not only elect leaders, but will also vote on resolutions and amendments. “There will be opportunities for Congress to vote on all constitutional amendments and resolutions. Both constitutional amendments and resolutions submissions and comments period [have] closed,” Sharif said. DM