The upcoming 2026 local government election in Cape Town is set to be a significant departure from previous polls, with the Democratic Alliance (DA) being judged on its delivery record rather than simply being seen as an alternative to the African National Congress (ANC). For the past 20 years, the DA has held power in Cape Town by positioning itself as the minority-led counter to the corrupt ANC. However, with the ANC's support in Cape Town having plummeted, the DA is now facing scrutiny over its actual delivery record.
The DA's reliance on its audit results has been a key factor in its success, but this approach is no longer sufficient. The party's recent heavy advertising spend seeking to convince people not to vote for smaller parties because the ANC is the real enemy is a clear indication of its concern. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis faces criticism for the city's triple crises of unaffordability, housing, and crime, as well as his rejection of social justice and adherence to the inherited colour-coded spatial plan.
Over his five-year term of office, Hill-Lewis has consolidated Cape Town's position as a great city capable of providing a fantastic standard of living for people who can afford to live there or visit. The quality of life and extent of service provision to Cape Town's suburbs and tourist hotspots is on par with the quality of life in any top city in the world. However, his performance has to be marked down due to the city's persistent problems.
The city's spatial plan, which was socially, economically, spatially, and environmentally segregated by colour in the past, remains fundamentally segregated, albeit by money. People of colour were forcibly removed from well-located areas in the past, and today they are excluded from ever returning because they will never be able to afford to do so. The impact is exactly the same. Growth and investment have deepened inequality, with the city's housing waiting list growing to nearly 500,000.
Several key facts must be taken into consideration in assessing Hill-Lewis' overall performance. The Good Hope Centre was sold to a Church, then apparently unsold, with Hill-Lewis not wanting to reveal the current status in the run-up to the election. The Bellville Velodrome was closed as a professional cycling venue and put out on long-term lease, while the Annandale land bought specifically to alleviate overcrowding in Dunoon was sold for a profit without any homes being built.
The Constitutional Court's Tafelberg School judgement rebuked Cape Town for adhering to the apartheid spatial plan, and the city has failed to develop zero affordable houses in the inner-city, surrounding areas, or any other well-located part of Cape Town. The Public Protector has also rebuked Cape Town for delivering inferior basic services to Cape Flats areas, with 646 people murdered on the Cape Flats between April and June 2026, and 703 rape cases reported in Cape Town between April and June.
The city's residents are facing significant challenges, including above-inflation municipal rates increases every year, with further increases of 6% and 8.13% to come over the next two years. According to Cape Town, in 2028/29 residents will be paying 36% more for water and 24% more for electricity than they were paying this June, dwarfing the projected inflation rate. Hill-Lewis must be held to account for failing to recognise and mitigate the City's growing affordability crisis.
Key points
- The DA's delivery record is under scrutiny ahead of the 2026 local government election in Cape Town.
- The city's persistent problems include unaffordability, housing, and crime.
- The DA's adherence to the inherited colour-coded spatial plan has deepened inequality in the city.
