Restoring Gauteng’s metros could be the most consequential economic reform South Africa undertakes in the next five years. On 4 November, voters can give Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and many other towns and cities the stable DA-led governments needed to begin that recovery.
Gauteng alone accounts for roughly a third of national economic output. So with the three major metros failing, the consequences stretch far beyond the provincial boundaries of Gauteng.
But reversing this decline in Gauteng and the whole of South Africa is within our power. Millions of South Africans want to replace governments that have failed them. And millions already live where the DA governs and want to preserve the progress they can see. Together, you change our country’s direction.
Our internal national polling puts the DA at 28.4%, just 1.2 percentage points behind the ANC. The DA is truly within touching distance of overtaking the ANC as the biggest political party in the country. The DA already has the biggest national electoral footprint, being the only party to contest each municipality and having a candidate in every ward in this upcoming local government election.
Other independent polling separately places the DA ahead in the three Gauteng metros. So becoming South Africa’s largest party in 2029 is an ambition within reach. But that opportunity depends on turnout. Every person who wants a capable and accountable DA government needs to help elect it.
And these stable governments would give Gauteng’s businesses confidence to invest for the long term. The DA has a track record of restoring municipal infrastructure which stimulates economic development, investing in basic service delivery which then help turn national reforms into improvements people can actually experience where they live. Under the DA Gauteng’s recovery could therefore become South Africa’s recovery.
Our ambition is a country in which investment spreads because more places work. When Gauteng succeeds, the whole of South Africa succeeds. We should be competing to raise standards across South Africa and our towns and cities should be competing to raise the standard everywhere.
But that requires government capable of planning beyond the next motion of no confidence. With stable DA governments engineers will be appointed on merit, infrastructure will be maintained before they fail, and bureaucracy will be streamlined. These are not political promises. The DA has shown this where in governs throughout South Africa.
Cape Town shows what becomes possible when that work continues over time. Between the first quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2026, the city added 418 000 jobs, almost half the net employment growth across all eight metros. In 2025/26, we invested R12.2 billion in capital projects, double the level at the start of this municipal term.
At provincial level, the Western Cape’s record extends to education and health. Its 2025 matric cohort achieved the country’s highest learner retention and mathematics pass rates. Stats SA’s places the Western Cape first for life expectancy among both men and women. The list truly does go on and on.
These outcomes reflect the DA difference but importantly they reinforce the basic notion that capable government matters throughout people’s lives. Better government should mean a stronger chance of finishing school, find work and living a longer, healthier life. That is how we should measure success by our governments, and on that front only the DA has a record to be proud of.
I want that expectation of a better life to become normal everywhere. No South African should have to move across the country to find a government that takes their future seriously.
But to get these governments that are actually on the side of South Africans wanting a better life people have to vote for the DA, as we are literally the only party with a record of improving the lives of people there where we govern. Only the DA is big enough to beat the ANC and lead alternative governments across the country. A stronger DA can win outright majorities where they are achievable and provide the leadership around which stable coalitions can form elsewhere.
South Africa needs an alternative to the ANC’s record of failure and needs governments that defend the foundations of prosperity. And South Africa needs a party strong enough to oppose the parties of chaos and destruction, in the EFF and MK.
The DA has the scale to oppose these parties and is literally the only political party with the governing experience to offer a credible way forward. No other political party can say the same.
And the reason for this success is quite simply. The DA stands for a people-driven market economy, secure property rights and the rule of law. We want public services that treat people with dignity, and a sustainable social safety net for those who need it. And importantly the DA governs for all. It does not enrich cronies, it does not tolerate capture of institutions and it does not allow criminals to dictate anything.
So to those who already live under a DA government I want to say that progress needs your vote too. Functioning municipalities require years of investment and careful management. There is much more to do, and a strong mandate will help us continue that work.
And to those who have never voted DA, I ask you to consider the future we could build together. With the DA you get an honest government that gets your town working. The DA is the only party that is on your side.
My ambition is for the DA to become South Africa’s largest party in 2029 by earning the trust of people whose lives we have helped improve. On 4 November, we can take a decisive step towards that future.
Vote DA to bring change where it is needed and take forward the progress where it has begun.
South Africa can work for everyone.
Geordin Hill-Lewis is the mayor of Cape Town and leader of the DA.