The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday announced eight of its 30 Western Cape mayoral candidates ahead of the upcoming local government elections, assuring that candidates are fit for purpose.

The DA governs the majority of the 30 municipalities in the Western Cape, including the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality.

While the province has 30 municipalities in total, the DA has sustained dominant control over most, with 20 DA-run municipalities receiving clean audits in 2024.

Beaufort West municipality will be represented by Gina Duimpies, Central Karoo district municipality by October Haarvoor, Hessequa municipality by Gerald Boezak, Kannaland municipality by Joslyn Johnson, Laingsburg municipality by Aletta Theron, Overberg municipality by Dr Annelie Rabie, Cape Winelands municipality by Antoinette Steyn and Knysna municipality by Levael Davis.

DA leader John Steenhuisen stated that the DA was renewing a promise with these candidates.

“A promise that towns, cities and municipalities in the Western Cape will continue to work for all who live here, and that we stand ready to extend the DA difference, a proven record of good governance across the province, and indeed the country,” he said.

DA federal chairperson Dr Ivan Meyer said these candidates were “capable, competent” and understood their local communities.

“All politics are local, and candidates must be familiar with local issues, such as water, sanitation, refuse collection, public transport as well as house and health matters in their local communities,” he said.

The candidates went through a “thorough” selection process, he assured.

Steenhuisen pointed out that for nearly two decades, the DA had governed the Western Cape, noting the successes the party had achieved in job creation.

“Since taking over provincial government in 2009, more than 500 000 jobs have been created. Over R50-billion in investment has flowed into the Western Cape. And we continue to have the lowest unemployment rate in South Africa.

“This is not by accident, but by design. Where the DA governs, opportunity follows,” he assured.

However, he acknowledged that crime was a major issue in South Africa.

“The DA is serious about safety. Crime destroys lives and robs communities of hope. That is why the DA-led Western Cape has taken a hard-headed, compassionate approach, tackling both crime itself and the social conditions that drive it. We need both tough government action and resilient communities to deal with this scourge,” he said.

He pointed out that DA-run municipalities continued to achieve the best audit outcomes from the Auditor-General.

Steenhuisen said the DA continued to grow, noting the recent by-elections, in which the DA took two wards from the African National Congress in the Western Cape.

He explained that this was proof that more voters wanted “capable, honest government”.

Steenhuisen, who announced on Wednesday that he would not seek a third term as federal leader of the party in April, said he achieved his goal for the party: to take it into national government and grow its support base.

He reiterated that he believed he was handing over a party in much better shape than it was handed to him in 2019.

“I am full of hope and confidence in the direction our country is going, because of the great strides the DA has made in recent years, at local and national level.

“But our work is not done. And neither is my own work done. I will continue to labour for South Africans in delivering on the promise of a better life, a life with jobs, security, and services, a life of dignity where individuals are empowered through education and their life chances are determined by their abilities and not by their circumstances,” he stated.