He faces the task of turning Cape Town into an inclusive city but it has not yet sunk in that the DA’s Geordin Hill-Lewis will soon have the mayoral chain draped around his neck.
Hill-Lewis, 34, will have a full in-tray when he officially reports for duty late this month. The previous administration has been heavily criticized for being anti-homeless, anti-poor, heavily charging ratepayers, and having a long housing backlog and high rates of crime.
“The purpose of my governance is to make Cape Town the most inclusive city in South Africa and to be a city of hope and pride for the whole country. There are so many people who feel negative and worried about the way our country is going, but I want it to be one place where they can look at what the country could look like.
A father of one, Hill-Lewis said he was excited and his age would not put him under any pressure.
“It’s still sinking in but I’m very excited about it. The age thing does not get to me, the only pressure I feel is the pressure to deliver. I have set out an ambitious plan for the city, if we can do it, it will make Cape Town a truly global leading city.
Hill-Lewis first ran for Parliament at the age of just 23 and was elected a year later. He held multiple positions in the DA’s shadow cabinet and was part of the successful 2009 Helen Zille’s campaign to be premier. The DA also entrusted him with the researcher position which assisted the party in keeping the governing ANC in check in the national assembly.
“I believed from the beginning that young people can do great things in South Africa. They must not be afraid of their age and I have always had that ‘I am not going to stand back just because I am young’ thing. If I have good ideas, I am going to go for it.
Source: News365
In other news – 4 people dead in Limpopo head-on crash
Four people have been killed during a head-on collision along the N1 south near the Baobab Tollgate in Limpopo.
Authorities said the accidents involved a small Kia truck and a heavy motor vehicle. Learn more
