Geordin Hill-Lewis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Hill-Lewis in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mayor of Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 18 November 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Eddie Andrews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Dan Plato | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Leader of theDemocratic Alliance in theWestern Cape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 11 November 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | JP Smith (interim) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of theCape Town City Council | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 9 November 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of theNational Assembly of South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 19 August 2011 – 9 November 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Willem Doman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Christopher Mario Fry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Western Cape (2011–2019) National (2019–2021) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Geordin Gwyn Hill-Lewis (1986-12-31)31 December 1986 (age 38) Plettenberg Bay,Cape Province, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Democratic Alliance (2004–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Carla | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence(s) | Edgemead,Cape Town,South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Edgemead High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Cape Town University of London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
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Geordin Gwyn Hill-Lewis (born 31 December 1986) is a South African politician who is theMayor of Cape Town. A member of theDemocratic Alliance (DA), he was elected mayor in November 2021.
Hill-Lewis attended Edgemead High School, obtained an Honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from UCT, and a Masters in Finance specialising in Economic Policy from the University of London.
Hill-Lewis served in theNational Assembly of South Africa for more than a decade from August 2011 until November 2021. He held multiple positions in the DA's Shadow Cabinet in the National Assembly.
He served as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Public Service from August 2011 to February 2012, as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry from February 2012 to June 2014, as the Shadow Minister of Trade and Industry between June 2014 and June 2017, and as the Shadow Minister of Finance from June 2019 until he resigned to become mayor in November 2021.
In November 2023, Hill-Lewis was elected unopposed as the DA deputy provincial leader in theWestern Cape.
Hill-Lewis was born inPlettenberg Bay. His family moved toCape Town when he was a young boy.[1] He was raised by a single mother, who is a nurse.[2] He attended Edgemead High School and holds aBachelor of Commerce degree with anhonours degree inpolitics, philosophy and economics from theUniversity of Cape Town. From theUniversity of London, he obtained a master's degree in economic policy.[3]
Hill-Lewis became politically active during his high school years. During his studies at the University of Cape Town, he founded the Democratic Alliance Students’ Organization (DASO). He worked as Chief of Staff in the office of former Western Cape PremierHelen Zille.[citation needed]
In August 2011, Hill-Lewis was appointed to theNational Assembly, the lower house of parliament, to fillWillem Doman's seat.[4] He was only twenty-four years and seven months old when he took office, which made him the youngest MP in the 4th Parliament (2009–2014).[5] He was appointed Shadow Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration by parliamentary leaderAthol Trollip.[6]
In February 2012, newly elected DA parliamentary leaderLindiwe Mazibuko appointed Hill-Lewis to the shadow cabinet as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.[7] After the2014 general election, he was unseated as the youngest MP byYusuf Cassim, who was also from the DA.[8]
Mmusi Maimane made him the Shadow Minister of Trade and Industry in June 2014.[9] Hill-Lewis was removed from the shadow cabinet in June 2017, as he was appointed as chief of staff in Maimane's office.[10]
Following the2019 general election, Hill-Lewis became the Shadow Minister of Finance in the new shadow cabinet led by Maimane.[11] He remained in the position following the election ofJohn Steenhuisen as DA leader in November 2020.[12] Hill-Lewis resigned from the National Assembly on 9 November 2021 in preparation for his move to the Cape Town city council.[13]
On 1 April 2021, Hill-Lewis announced that he had applied to be the DA's mayoral candidate for the City of Cape Town for the local government elections to be held later on in the year. He had been the DA's constituency head inGeorge in the Southern Cape at that time.[14]
He was up against incumbent mayorDan Plato and the DA's provincial leaderBonginkosi Madikizela.[15] Madikizela later resigned as provincial leader and from all active party roles after being caught up in a qualifications scandal. Hill-Lewis was reported to be the frontrunner.[16]
DA leader John Steenhuisen announced on 23 August that Hill-Lewis would be the DA’s mayoral candidate in the2021 local government elections.[17][18] Incumbent mayor Plato, who had also applied to be the DA's mayoral candidate, pledged to support Hill-Lewis's campaign.[19] On 29 August 2021, Hill-Lewis launched his campaign to become mayor inBonteheuwel where he had attended his first DA meeting at ward councillor Theresa Thompson's home in June 2004.[20]
In September 2021, Hill-Lewis wrote to theMinister of Public Works and Infrastructure and former DA mayor,Patricia de Lille, calling on her to cancel the government's lease for the Acacia Park parliamentary village so that theCity of Cape Town can buy the land from the government and release it for the development of affordable housing. De Lille responded by calling him "stupid", despite her past support for the proposal.[21][22] Hill-Lewis then led a demonstration outside the Department of Public Works building and handed over a memorandum.[23] Hill-Lewis has also identified theAir Force Base Ysterplaat and theSAS Wingfield for social housing.[24]
On 7 October 2021, Hill-Lewis announced his seven-point plan to endloadshedding in the City of Cape Town. His plan includes procuring electricity directly from Independent Power Producers and investing in the Steenbras hydroelectric plant.[25]
On 3 November, two days after the municipal elections on 1 November, the DA was projected to retain their majority in the City of Cape Town, winning 58% of the vote, a decline of 8% from the 66% the party achieved in the 2016 municipal elections. Hill-Lewis admitted in an interview withNews24 journalist Jan Gerber that the DA performed much better than he expected.[26][27][28]
On 18 November 2021, the city council held its inaugural meeting after the election, at which Hill-Lewis was elected and sworn in as mayor.[26] Hill-Lewis was elected mayor with 141 out of 224 votes. TheANC's Noluthando Makasi received 46 votes while theCape Independence Party's Jack Miller got only two votes. There were 20 abstentions and 15 spoilt ballots. At age 34, he is the second youngest mayor in the city's history[29] afterDavid Graaff (1891–1892). On his first day in office, he inspected sewage issues inKhayelitsha and Phoenix.[30]
On 22 November, Hill-Lewis announced the formation of his 11-member mayoral committee to turn Cape Town into a "city of hope". Only six councillors out of the previous administration were retained. Long-serving members Ian Neilson, Xanthea Limberg, Marian Nieuwoudt, Phindile Maxiti and Sharon Cottle were not reappointed to the new mayoral committee.[31][32][33]
Hill-Lewis was elected unopposed as the DA's deputy provincial leader at the party's provincial congress on 11 November 2023.[34]
In May 2025, Hill-Lewis was shown to be broadly popular amongst his fellowCouncil members, when he won amotion of no confidence by a significant margin (138 against vs 46 in favor). The motion was tabled bysingle-issue opposition party theNational Coloured Congress, and was seen to be a spiteful endeavor to detract from an ongoing court case the City has against the NCC's leader,Fadiel Adams, forracist remarks he made. Hill-Lewis said at the time of the motion that the NCC's actions were frivolous, and that they should be better for the residents of Cape Town in terms of their general interactions in Council meetings.[35]
Hill-Lewis is married to Carla. They have one child.[36] They reside inEdgemead, one of the northern suburbs of Cape Town.[37] He is an avidrugby union fan.
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor of Cape Town 2021 – present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by | ShadowMinister of Finance 2019–2021 | Succeeded by Vacant |
| Preceded by | ShadowMinister of Trade and Industry 2014–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | ShadowDeputy Minister of Trade and Industry 2012–2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Ena van Schalkwyk | ShadowDeputy Minister of Public Service and Administration 2011–2012 | Succeeded by |