Five DA Heavyweights Clash For Cape Town’s Deputy Mayor Chair — And The Knives Are Out

Cape Town City Hall hummed with tension on Tuesday morning as five Democratic Alliance veterans positioned themselves for the most coveted prize in Western Cape municipal politics — the deputy mayoralty, a seat that carries enormous influence over the R69 billion metro budget and daily decisions affecting 4.9 million residents.

Councillor Eddie Andrews, Councillor Beverley van Reenen, Councillor Alderman Simon Liell-Cock, Councillor Zahid Badroodien, and Councillor Belinda Walker have each thrown their weight behind private campaigns to secure the nomination, according to three party insiders who spoke on condition of anonymity. Sources say Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis must finalise the appointment before the next full council sitting, with caucus lobbying already reaching fever pitch behind Civic Centre’s closed doors.

DA Western Cape spokesperson Mubeen Shaik told reporters the party does not publicly discuss internal appointments until an official announcement is made. “Our processes are thorough and merit-based,” Shaik confirmed, declining to elaborate further on any shortlist or timeline. The City of Cape Town communications desk had not released a formal statement by the time this article went to publication.

The deputy mayor role gained additional weight after former incumbent Eddie Andrews departed to take up a national parliamentary portfolio earlier this year, leaving a vacuum that observers say exposed subtle fault lines within the metro caucus. Ward representatives from Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, and the Atlantic Seaboard have each signalled preferred candidates, reflecting the geographic balancing act Hill-Lewis must perform to maintain coalition harmony ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

Outside Civic Centre on Tuesday afternoon, a group of community activists from Bonteheuwel clutched handwritten placards demanding the next deputy mayor prioritise housing backlogs in their ward. One elderly woman, wrapped in a faded ANC-yellow jacket she wore defiantly, pressed a written memorandum into the hands of every councillor who passed. Nobody stopped to read it.

The appointment remains unannounced, the lobbying continues behind sealed meeting rooms, and the five contenders keep smiling at one another across council chambers while sharpening their arguments in private. Cape Town deserves a deputy mayor chosen on competence — but will political geography and factional loyalty override genuine merit when Hill-Lewis finally picks up the telephone.