Steenhuisen sets sights on municipal growth as he prepares to step down

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said while he believes he has achieved all he needed to at the helm of the party for the past seven years, the work of the party is far from over.

A day after announcing he would not be seeking a third term as party leader, Steenhuisen on Thursday gave the first tranche of mayoral candidates in the Western Cape their marching orders.

He committed to continue campaigning for the DA to govern more municipalities, saying it already has an established track record of getting basic service delivery right.

After losing two by-elections in George to the Patriotic Alliance last month, the DA is this week riding the high of taking two wards off the African National Congress (DA) in by-elections in the Langeberg and Cederberg.

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With 80% of municipalities in the province either under outright control of the DA or in coalition, provincial leader Tertius Simmers said this year’s campaign would strongly focus on hung councils.

"Our record in the Western Cape proudly speaks for itself. We have towns that work, where roads are maintained, where water flows and where infrastructure grows and contributes to economic growth," Simmers said.

Steenhuisen has cautioned against supporting fringe parties that lead to what he termed "messy coalitions".

"We cannot afford to lose ground. We need strong DA municipalities, governed by the DA that holds the majority or at the very least is the largest party in any coalition government," he said.

The candidates announced on Thursday hail from the municipalities of Beaufort West, Central Karoo, Hessequa, Overstrand, Cape Winelands, Laingsburg, Kannaland and Knysna.