Opposition parties in the City of Cape Town are demanding a return to physical council sittings, accusing the DA-led metro of keeping meetings virtual in a way that weakens accountability while conveniently suiting Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis as he balances his mayoral duties with his new role as DA federal leader.
The criticism comes almost a year after the metro last held a physical council sitting in July 2025, with the Patriotic Alliance, GOOD and the ANC questioning why online meetings remain the default.
Patriotic Alliance chief whip in the City of Cape Town and the party’s mayoral candidate, Cheslyn Daniels, alleged that the arrangement gave Hill-Lewis greater flexibility now that he occupies a prominent national political role.
Daniels stressed that Hill-Lewis continued to attend council meetings but argued that the virtual format allowed him to remain technically present in Cape Town’s council while travelling for DA political work elsewhere in the country.
“Shortly after becoming DA federal leader, the decision to continue virtual council meetings was defended as being about efficiency or health precautions,” Daniels said.
“Yet the practical effect is that the executive mayor is now free to be in Polokwane, Soweto or Durban on council days while still technically attending via a screen.”
Since his election as DA federal leader in April, Hill-Lewis has taken on a more visible national campaign role. In recent weeks he has conducted political engagements in Limpopo, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, where he appeared alongside DA mayoral candidates and launched party initiatives focused on crime, policing and voter mobilisation ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
In Limpopo, Hill-Lewis addressed the DA’s provincial congress and urged party structures to prioritise voter registration. In Gauteng, he conducted oversight visits in Mabopane and Winterveldt and campaigned alongside DA mayoral candidates in Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.
Daniels said Cape Town residents deserved a mayor fully focused on the city.
However, GOOD Party councillor Jonathan Cupido distanced himself from the claim that Hill-Lewis was using virtual meetings to avoid council responsibilities. “In every virtual sitting his camera is on. He is present. And we have recess periods that cover party and campaign work.”
Cupido said the real concern was not Hill-Lewis’s attendance but the city’s failure to provide evidence for its cost-saving claims and what he described as the uneven application of council rules during virtual sittings.
“The speaker justifies virtual sittings on cost-saving, particularly travel claims, but there is no formal report and no evidence that it saves anything.”
Cupido also accused speaker Felicity Purchase of applying council rules unevenly against opposition councillors, saying virtual sittings made it easier for the DA majority to manage proceedings while limiting effective scrutiny.
The ANC has also joined calls for the immediate return of physical council meetings.
ANC Western Cape spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said virtual sittings had been plagued by technical failures and connectivity problems that undermined the integrity of council proceedings. He pointed to last month’s council meeting, where Hill-Lewis reportedly experienced connectivity problems while delivering his mayoral address, forcing proceedings to pause.
He said the ANC believes the continued use of virtual sittings weakens democratic engagement and accountability.
Responding to the criticism, Purchase defended the virtual format, saying councillors had the same speaking rights and oversight opportunities as they would during physical meetings.
Purchase said virtual meetings saved ratepayers money, reduced travel costs and allowed broader public access through online platforms.
She also rejected suggestions that the format was being used to accommodate Hill-Lewis’ national political responsibilities.
- Opposition parties in Cape Town are calling for a return to physical council meetings.
- They accuse the DA-led metro of using virtual meetings to reduce accountability.
- Critics argue the virtual format benefits Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis personally.
- Hill-Lewis is balancing his mayoral responsibilities with his new role as DA federal leader.
- The opposition views the continuation of virtual meetings as politically convenient for the DA.
Opposition parties in the City of Cape Town are demanding a return to physical council sittings, accusing the DA-led metro of keeping meetings virtual in a way that weakens accountability while conveniently suiting Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis as he balances his mayoral duties with his new role as DA federal leader.
Patriotic Alliance chief whip in the City of Cape Town and the party’s mayoral candidate, Cheslyn Daniels, alleged that the arrangement gave Hill-Lewis greater flexibility now that he occupies a prominent national political role.
Daniels stressed that Hill-Lewis continued to attend council meetings but argued that the virtual format allowed him to remain technically present in Cape Town’s council while travelling for DA political work elsewhere in the country.
“
“Yet the practical effect is that the executive mayor is now free to be in Polokwane, Soweto or Durban on council days while still technically attending via a screen.”
Since his election as DA federal leader in April, Hill-Lewis has taken on a more visible national campaign role. In recent weeks he has conducted political engagements in Limpopo,
In Limpopo, Hill-Lewis addressed the DA’s provincial congress and urged party structures to prioritise voter registration. In
Daniels said Cape Town residents deserved a mayor fully focused on the city.
However, GOOD Party councillor
Cupido said the real concern was not Hill-Lewis’s attendance but the city’s failure to provide evidence for its cost-saving claims and what he described as the uneven application of council rules during virtual sittings.
“
Cupido also accused speaker Felicity Purchase of applying council rules unevenly against opposition councillors, saying virtual sittings made it easier for the DA majority to manage proceedings while limiting effective scrutiny.
ANC Western Cape spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said virtual sittings had been plagued by technical failures and connectivity problems that undermined the integrity of council proceedings. He pointed to last month’s council meeting, where Hill-Lewis reportedly experienced connectivity problems while delivering his mayoral address, forcing proceedings to pause.
He said the ANC believes the continued use of virtual sittings weakens democratic engagement and accountability.
Purchase said virtual meetings saved ratepayers money, reduced travel costs and allowed broader public access through online platforms.
