- Gauteng DA leader Solly Msimanga announced his candidacy for DA federal chairperson, aiming to bring new ideas and decentralised leadership.
- The DA Federal Congress will be held from 11 to 12 April in Johannesburg, electing key leadership roles.
- Other candidates include Geordin Hill-Lewis for federal leader and Ashor Sarupen for Federal Council chairperson.
Gauteng DA leader Solly Msimanga has put up his hand to become DA federal chairperson when the party holds its congress in April.
Msimanga announced his candidacy at the Sheraton Hotel in Pretoria, with the Union Buildings as his backdrop. Several provincial and regional party leaders were present and also endorsed Msimanga. Should he be succesful, Msimanga will succeed Ivan Meyer.
Msimanga previously put his hand up for the DA federal chairperson position in 2018, but lost.
He told journalists and his supporters that this time it was different, as he was no longer a novice.
Msimanga said:
I accept this nomination with humility and determination. I want to say to you Democrats, let us go out there and grow this party, let us prepare for 2026, let us build towards 2029 and let us take the DA to the next level. I’m ready for it.
According to Msimanga, the DA needs new ideas and a refreshed leadership
“I must say that one of the things that I’m passionate about is the rebalancing of power within our federal party. We are a federal party.
“We believe in the devolution of power in government, and therefore, if we believe in the devolution of power in government, there’s no way we should not believe in the same thing internally, in terms of our internal processes as well.”
He said that, over time, too much power has been concentrated at the centre.
“Provincial, regional and ground structures have little voice now, and we now need to make sure that we strengthen that voice in decision-making that affects them,” said Msimanga.
He said the federal council, the body with the widest representation across the DA’s structures, must be empowered to play a bigger, much stronger role.
He said DA members must feel heard, and branches must be respected. “Our structures must feel valued. We need leadership that will speak up for our structures even when it is uncomfortable,” Msimanga.
READ | Solly Msimanga weighs leadership bid as DA congress sparks fierce lobbying
Speaking to News24 after the announcement, Msimanga said his second attempt at trying to become the DA federal chairperson comes as he had had enough time to prove himself at a national level.
“[Back then], I was coming as a novice who had only been a regional chairperson, and now I have had an opportunity to be a provincial leader and prove [my] capability of turning the provincial DA office and structures around.”
He said when he came in as leader, it was in “tatters”.
“When we took over here, it was just after the resignation of the provincial leader … who had left us. It was when Herman Mashaba had just left, and Gauteng was where all these people were coming from.”
He said this experience had given him a platform to build up and do things much differently. “I think that is an opportunity that now gives me this platform where I can go and say, look what I have been able to do in Gauteng, and this is something that we can then carry going forward,” Msimanga said.
Nominations for the DA congress opened at 07:00 on Friday and will remain open until 23 March.
DA Federal Congress deputy presiding officer Bridget Masango said preparations for the DA Federal Congress 2026, set to take place on 11 and 12 April in Johannesburg, are proceeding at full steam and are well on track.
The congress will elect a new federal leader, the federal chairperson of the DA, and three deputy federal chairpersons.
READ | Steenhuisen’s exit triggers DA succession battle across all senior positions
At the same time, members of the DA’s federal council will elect a new chairperson of the federal council, three deputy chairpersons of the federal council, and a new chairperson of the federal finance committee.
Masango said: “Nominations received will be interrogated and vetted by the federal compliance department of the DA, in consultation with the presiding officers of the federal congress and federal council elections.
“All candidates are required to uphold the DA’s standards of conduct for internal elections, which includes that the party accepts that campaigning for offices may be robust, but expects campaigns to be conducted in a way which is in the best interests of the party and its supporters”.
The mayor of the City of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, has confirmed he will run for federal leader of the DA at the party’s upcoming congress. If successful, he will replace outgoing leader John Steenhuisen.
Other notable figures have also announced their bids. Ashor Sarupen, the first deputy chairperson of the DA federal council, is seeking to replace federal council chairperson Helen Zille.
In a message to delegates, Sarupen said he was standing as chairperson of the DA federal council “to make the DA the largest party in 2029”. He said his campaign is built around five priorities: growth, speed, devolution, delivery and discipline.
Campaign posters have also begun circulating on social media. So far, they include Anroux Marais, who is running for deputy federal chairperson, and Erik Marais, who is contesting the position of DA federal finance chairperson. If successful, Erik Marais would replace former finance chairperson Dion George.
More contenders are expected to announce their campaigns before nominations close on 23 March.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with additional information.
