Geordin Hill-Lewis

On 1 April 2021, Hill-Lewis announced that he had applied to be the DA's mayoral candidate for the City of Cape Town for the local government elections to be held later on in the year. He had been the DA's constituency head in George in the Southern Cape at that time.[14] He was up against incumbent mayor Dan Plato and the DA's provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela.[15] Madikizela later resigned as provincial leader and from all active party roles after being caught up in a qualifications scandal. Hill-Lewis was reported to be the frontrunner.[16]

DA leader John Steenhuisen announced on 23 August that Hill-Lewis would be the DA’s mayoral candidate in the 2021 local government elections.[17][18] Incumbent mayor Plato, who had also applied to be the DA's mayoral candidate, pledged to support Hill-Lewis's campaign.[19] On 29 August 2021, Hill-Lewis launched his campaign to become mayor in Bonteheuwel where he had attended his first DA meeting at ward councillor Theresa Thompson's home in June 2004.[20]

In September 2021, Hill-Lewis wrote to the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure and former DA mayor, Patricia de Lille, calling on her to cancel the government's lease for the Acacia Park parliamentary village so that the City of Cape Town can buy the land from the government and release it for the development of affordable housing. De Lille responded by calling him "stupid", despite her past support for the proposal.[21][22] Hill-Lewis then led a demonstration outside the Department of Public Works building and handed over a memorandum.[23] Hill-Lewis has also identified the Air Force Base Ysterplaat and the SAS Wingfield for social housing.[24]

On 7 October 2021, Hill-Lewis announced his seven-point plan to end loadshedding in the City of Cape Town. His plan includes procuring electricity directly from Independent Power Producers and investing in the Steenbras hydroelectric plant.[25]

On 3 November, two days after the municipal elections on 1 November, the DA was projected to retain their majority in the City of Cape Town, winning 58% of the vote, a decline of 8% from the 66% the party achieved in the 2016 municipal elections. Hill-Lewis admitted in an interview with News24 journalist Jan Gerber that the DA performed much better than he expected.[26][27][28]

On 18 November 2021, the city council held its inaugural meeting after the election, at which Hill-Lewis was elected and sworn in as mayor.[26] Hill-Lewis was elected mayor with 141 out of 224 votes. The ANC's Noluthando Makasi received 46 votes while the Cape Independence Party's Jack Miller got only two votes. There were 20 abstentions and 15 spoilt ballots. At age 34, he is the second youngest mayor in the city's history[29] after David Graaff (1891-1892). On his first day in office, he inspected sewage issues in Khayelitsha and Phoenix.[30]

On 22 November, Hill-Lewis announced the formation of his 11-member mayoral committee to turn Cape Town into a "city of hope". Only six councillors out of the previous administration were retained. Long-serving members Ian Neilson, Xanthea Limberg, Marian Nieuwoudt, Phindile Maxiti and Sharon Cottle were not reappointed to the new mayoral committee.[31][32][33]