MAILBOX: Why Cape Town voters deserve better from the DA

Key topics:Large Kenilworth pothole to M3 left unattended for 10+ weeks near schoolsDA accused of Truth Social-style electioneering; misinfo claims by Hill-LewisCape Town crime stats under Hill-Lewis spark debate over trends and Cape Flats.By Andrew Crawford.This article caught my eye. Admittedly one tends to operate from a position of self-interest. I have been monging for Helen Zille to bring her goggles and snorkel back to the Cape. There is a 5.5m x 1.5m pothole between Main Road Kenilworth and the M3 that has been unattended for in excess of 10 weeks. This fairly large pothole outside the Wynberg schools is now a topic of discussion, considering Zille's Jozi mayorial platform.The article seems to confirm the DA is copying the Truth Social approach to electioneering, rather than their traditional "actions speak louder than words" philosophy. Thank you for sharing The Common Sense article. The most concerning aspect is Hill-Lewis and Coetzee's knowledge that they were posting a misrepresentation of the facts. This is a reflection on their personal integrity.I decided to take to Claude LLM to test crime statistics in Cape Town under Hill-Lewis leadership, since this is something most South Africans have close to their heart..Read more:.SA deserves a better DA than the one we’re seeing on X.Cape Town Metro — crime statistics by SAPS precinctSAPS financial years (April–March). Blue = pre-Hill-Lewis era (before 18 Nov 2021). Green = Hill-Lewis era (from 2021/22 onwards). Figures show gross incidents with year-on-year % change in brackets. Source: SAPS Annual Crime Statistics 2014/15–2023/24.Pre Hill-Lewis years (2015/16–2020/21)Hill-Lewis era (2021/22–2023/24), elected Mayor 18 November 2021Historically Cape Flats / township precinctHistorically mixed / coloured suburb precinctHistorically predominantly white / affluent precinctAverage (pre-Hill-Lewis era) Murder, Attempted murder, Assault GBH, Common assault, Aggravated robbery, Residential burglary, Sexual offences, All contact crimes2,01220 precincts shownAverage (Hill-Lewis era)2,202▲ 9.4% vs pre-Hill-LewisMetro peak year22/232,239 incidentsLatest year (23/24)2,225▼ 0.6% vs prior yearCape Flats share (23/24)70% of metro totalMurder — context: Murder has been the most scrutinised crime category. The Western Cape — and Cape Town specifically — accounts for roughly 22–25% of all South Africa's murders despite having ~13% of the population. Nyanga was dubbed South Africa's 'murder capital' for much of this period. Post-2021/22 data shows modest declines in Nyanga, Gugulethu and Khayelitsha but significant spikes in Philippi East (+64% in 2023/24) and continued pressure in Delft and Mfuleni..Methodological notes: SAPS statistics are recorded by police precinct (station), not municipal ward. Cape Town has 63 SAPS precincts covering the metro area. The precinct classification (Cape Flats/township, mixed/coloured suburb, historically white/affluent) follows the apartheid spatial legacy and is used analytically — not to assign contemporary identity, but to contextualise structurally unequal crime burdens. Data for 2020/21 reflects COVID-19 lockdown distortions (significant under-reporting). Hill-Lewis took office 18 November 2021; the SAPS year 2021/22 (April 2021–March 2022) is therefore split between administrations and is shaded as Hill-Lewis era given his impact from mid-year. Figures marked (*) are estimates based on SAPS regional reports and published analysis where station-level data was triangulated from multiple SAPS releases, ISS CrimeHub, and SafeSuburb datasets. My decision to turn to Claude today is against a nagging suspicion. In business would one appoint a 39 year old with no practical experience to run your business (35 when first elected)? Also against a business experience backdrop, would you become concerned by perpetual senior leadership changes, and intolerance for alternative viewpoints - think Steinhoff? Hill-Lewis is strongly backed by Zille, but should Zille go unquestioned after the departure of so many (see Claude's list below my sign off below) ?As a lifelong DA supporter since Tony Leon delivered my first Commercial Law lecture at WITS, I am concerned with the lack of performance that accompanies Zille's "young lions", and their reliance on social media to try create a reality. I decided to listen carefully to the Prince Mashele interview at BizNews #8, since this may have been prescient.Here is the definitive list of DA leadership figures who left the party to practise politics within another party or movement: Former DA leadership figures now active in other parties1. Marthinus van Schalkwyk DA role: Deputy leader of the DA (2000–2001); previously leader of the New National Party (NNP), which briefly merged with the DP to form the DA. Departed: 2001, when he led the NNP out of the DA alliance. Current/subsequent party: Joined the ANC in 2005 after dissolving the NNP. Served as Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (2004–2009) and Minister of Tourism (2009–2014) under Presidents Mbeki and Zuma. Later appointed High Commissioner to Australia. Note: The most dramatic defection in DA history — he took his entire party into the governing ANC.2. Patricia de Lille DA role: Mayor of Cape Town (2011–2018); brought the Independent Democrats (ID) into the DA in 2010. Departed: 2018, following a bitter public falling-out with the DA over governance and alleged misconduct charges. Current party: Founded and leads the GOOD party (Governance of National Unity and Diversity). Serves as a Member of Parliament and was appointed Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure in the 2024 Government of National Unity cabinet.3. Mmusi Maimane DA role: Federal Leader of the DA (2015–2019) — the party's first black leader. Previously DA parliamentary spokesperson and caucus leader in Johannesburg. Departed: October 2019, citing irreconcilable differences over transformation and the direction of the party. Current party: Founded Build One South Africa (BOSA) in September 2022, having first established the One South Africa (OSA) civic movement in 2020. Currently serves as an MP for BOSA in the National Assembly.4. Athol Trollip DA role: Federal Chairperson of the DA (2015–2019); Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (2009–2011); Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay (2016–2018). Departed: October/December 2019, resigning alongside Maimane. Current party: Joined ActionSA in February 2022. Serves as ActionSA's Eastern Cape Provincial Chairperson and currently sits as an MP for ActionSA in the National Assembly (from 2024).5. Herman Mashaba DA role: Executive Mayor of Johannesburg (2016–2019), elected on the DA ticket. Departed: October 2019, citing the re-election of Helen Zille as Federal Council chair as incompatible with his values. Current party: Founded ActionSA in August 2020. Remains president of ActionSA, which won seats nationally in the 2024 elections and now holds representation across multiple spheres of government.6. John Moodey DA role: Provincial Leader of the DA in Gauteng (multiple terms); long-serving Gauteng councillor and DA member for 22 years. Departed: September 2020. Current party: Joined ActionSA, appointed as the party's Gauteng Provincial Chairperson in 2020. Remained active in ActionSA through the 2021 and 2024 election cycles.7. Bongani Baloyi DA role: Executive Mayor of Midvaal Local Municipality (2013–2021) — notable for being the youngest mayor in South Africa at the time, aged 26. DA Federal Council member. Departed: December 2021. Current party: Joined ActionSA in January 2022 as Gauteng chairperson. Left ActionSA in March 2023 citing "irreconcilable differences" with Mashaba, then formed Xiluva. After Xiluva's poor 2024 election performance, joined the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party in September 2024.8. Patricia Kopane DA role: Shadow Deputy Minister of Health; Member of the National Assembly for the DA (2009–2022); a senior DA figure in the Free State for nearly two decades. Departed: August 2022, saying the DA had become "a white party" that no longer served her political interests. Current party: Joined ActionSA; serves as ActionSA's Free State Provincial Chairperson.9. Makashule Gana DA role: DA Gauteng Provincial Coordinator; key organiser and grassroots builder; senior party official for over 20 years. Departed: August 2022. Current party: Joined RISE Mzansi (founded by Songezo Zibi) in April 2023 as National Organiser. RISE Mzansi won two seats in the 2024 national elections and Gana is active as an MP.Notable departures who left politics entirely (not practising in another party)Lindiwe Mazibuko — DA Parliamentary Leader and Leader of the Opposition (2011–2014). Left the DA in 2014 to study at Harvard. Has not joined another party and is now active in civil society and the Apolitical Academy.Mbali Ntuli — DA Youth Leader; KZN MPL; leadership contender (2022 resignation). Left to pursue community work and has not joined another party.Phumzile van Damme — DA Shadow Minister of Communications; MP (2021 resignation). Left to work on anti-misinformation initiatives; not active in another party.The pattern is striking: the bulk of departing DA leaders — particularly black leaders — gravitated toward ActionSA, which effectively became the primary political vehicle for disaffected DA talent. BOSA and RISE Mzansi absorbed others from the same cohort. The most historically significant defection, however, remains van Schalkwyk's to the ANC, which represented a full ideological crossing of the floor into the governing party..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox every morning on weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa's bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here.

MAILBOX: Why Cape Town voters deserve better from the DA

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