In Cape Town, a high-stakes political contest is taking shape as residents grapple with rising living costs, housing pressure, and escalating electricity bills. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is fighting for a second term, promising bold changes that could reshape how the city grows, develops, and keeps services affordable. Backed by the Democratic Alliance, his campaign unfolds against mounting public frustration and growing competition from smaller parties. Behind the headlines of progress and praise for governance lies a deeper struggle over affordability, infrastructure, and the city’s future direction. As election day approaches, the outcome could redefine whether Cape Town’s success story continues – or begins to strain under its own momentum.
By Paul Vecchiatto and Mike Cohen
Cape Town’s mayor said he will ramp up efforts to provide more affordable housing and curb electricity price increases if he wins a second term, as he seeks to counter rising living costs in South Africa’s main tourist hub.
Geordin Hill-Lewis will seek reelection in a Nov. 4 local government vote and the Democratic Alliance formally endorsed his bid on the weekend. He has led the party, the country’s second-biggest, since April, so the move was widely anticipated.
Hill-Lewis, 39, is also almost certain to retain his mayoral post: Cape Town ranks as South Africa’s best-run city, and he has won praise for improving its infrastructure, growing its economy and maintaining and expanding access to basic services.
Residents have nonetheless become increasingly vocal about rising municipal rates bills and a surge in housing costs that’s largely been driven by internal migration and an influx of tourists.
“People are understandably concerned about the price of accommodation in Cape Town. That is a symptom of success, but you also have to do something,” Hill-Lewis said in an interview at his offices in the Cape Town civic center last week. “We will have some clear offers on how to speed up affordable housing supply in the city significantly.”
The municipality has already made some of its land available for development, with about 12,000 homes under construction.
Increased municipal bills have largely been driven by higher electricity prices, with elevated costs from state utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. being passed on to consumers, according to Hill-Lewis. He envisions the city increasing its purchases of cheaper power from alternate suppliers.
“Municipalities are price takers, so that’s going to be a key part of my platform,” he said. “The fact is that the property rates are a function of property value. The value is not set by the city, the value is set by the market, and the market has run incredibly hot here because it is the only functional city.”
The mayor also said he will step up efforts to make it easier to do business with a view to doubling the 480,000 jobs that have been created in Cape Town in his current term.
He intends pushing the national government to give the city control over the commuter rail system so it can improve public transport, and for municipal law-enforcement officers to be given investigative powers so they can assist the police in ensuring criminals are charged and convicted.
Hill-Lewis said he is cautiously optimistic about the DA’s election prospects in Cape Town, even though its outright majority is under “significant threat,” with several smaller parties, including the Patriotic Alliance, threatening to erode its support.
“The city is in a way better space than it was five years ago, it’s on a much more positive trajectory, but elections are always about the politics of the present,” he said. “We’ve got a tough campaign ahead of us.”
© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.
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