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Sunday, 6 September 2026
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Sunday, 6 September 2026
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Namibian press · Organization

Democratic Alliance

Also known as: Democratic Alliance (DA)

South African political party, member of the Government of National Unity coalition, challenging the Expropriation Act in court.

2018-04-202026-09-06
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What’s been said

Key points drawn from coverage. Tap a point to see the original sentence.

  1. August 2026

  2. The Namibian

    Democratic Alliance (DA) has joined AfriForum and Institute of Race Relations in challenging the Expropriation Act

    Source

    “The DA, a member of the Government of National Unity (GNU) coalition, has joined AfriForum and the Institute of Race Relations in challenging the Expropriation Act, which would allow the government to expropriate land without compensation in some circumstances.”

    Unpacked: Each party’s arguments in the Expropriation Act case
  3. July 2026

  4. The Namibian

    Democratic Alliance hired Consulum under a confidential contract to manage its GNU transition

    Source

    “the DA hired that company under a confidential contract to manage its transition to government.”

    A paid Dubai-based consultancy more than R7.7m to run its GNU operation

  5. The Namibian

    Democratic Alliance spokesperson Jan de Villiers denied any conflicts of interest regarding Coetzee

    Source

    “The DA, through spokesperson Jan de Villiers, denied any conflicts of interest and claimed "few" individuals in the party would have any issue with Coetzee.”

    A paid Dubai-based consultancy more than R7.7m to run its GNU operation
  6. June 2026

  7. Windhoek Observer

    Democratic Alliance is traditionally associated with market-oriented economic positions and the right

    Source

    “For the first time since the democratic transition, the ANC lost its parliamentary majority and was compelled to govern through coalition arrangements, including cooperation with the Democratic Alliance (DA), traditionally associated with more market oriented economic positions and the right.”

    What South Africa’s conference of the left reveals about a deeper political crisis
  8. April 2026

  9. The Namibian

    The Democratic Alliance has had share of vote stuck at approximately 20% since 2014

    Source

    “Since the 2014 general election its share of the vote has been stuck at 20% or thereabouts.”

    Can this man broaden the appeal of a South African party seen by some as ‘too white'?
  10. March 2026

  11. The Namibian

    Democratic Alliance lodged an application in April last year

    Source

    “This decision was prompted by an application lodged by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in April last year.”

    Western Cape High Court strikes down finance minister's unconstitutional tax powers
  12. February 2026

  13. The Namibian

    Democratic Alliance fielded Helen Zille as Johannesburg mayoral candidate

    Source

    “the main race for Johannesburg's mayor is now between him and the DA candidate, Helen Zille.”

    As the ANC self-immolates, Zille and Mashaba seize race for Joburg’s future

  14. The Namibian

    Democratic Alliance secured six ministerial posts in President Cyril Ramaphosa's cabinet

    Source

    “The DA secured six ministerial posts in President Cyril Ramaphosa's cabinet, with Steenhuisen holding the agriculture portfolio.”

    How the tide turned against the leader of South Africa's second-biggest party

  15. The Namibian

    Democratic Alliance is set to hold its national federal congress in April

    Source

    “The DA is set to hold its national federal congress in April, where Steenhuisen was expected to contest against Western Cape premier Alan Winde, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and communications and digital technologies minister Solly Malatsi.”

    John Steenhuisen to withdraw from DA's leadership race
  16. January 2026

  17. The Namibian

    Democratic Alliance is heading into a leadership contest tearing at its seams leadership contest tearing at its seams

    Source

    “The Democratic Alliance (DA) is heading into a leadership contest that is already tearing at its seams, with senior figures warning that the outcome may further divide a party struggling to reconcile its internal battles, its role in the government, and its claim to moral high ground.”

    DA battles internal fractures amid Zille's influence and GNU challenges
Tourism & Environment

Cape Town drafts short-term rental bylaw to regulate Airbnb-style lettings

The News

Cape Town's draft Short-Term Letting By-Law reclassifies Airbnb-style rentals as commercial, raising rates and requiring registration. The policy aims to address competition for inner-city housing between foreign visitors and local renters, with Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis agreeing that full-time short-term rental operators should face the same regulatory requirements as hotels.

7 August 2026 · The Namibian →

Friday 7 August

  1. Cape Town drafts short-term rental bylaw to regulate Airbnb-style lettings

    Cape Town's draft Short-Term Letting By-Law reclassifies Airbnb-style rentals as commercial, raising rates and requiring registration. The policy aims to address competition for inner-city housing between foreign visitors and local renters, with Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis agreeing that full-time short-term rental operators should face the same regulatory requirements as hotels.

    7 August 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 6 August

  1. DA, AfriForum challenge South Africa Expropriation Act in court

    The Democratic Alliance, a member of South Africa's Government of National Unity coalition, has joined AfriForum and the Institute of Race Relations in challenging the Expropriation Act, which would permit the government to expropriate land without compensation in certain circumstances. The high court in Cape Town is hearing arguments over five days on the Act's validity and constitutionality, with the Presidency, Parliament, and the Economic Freedom Fighters presenting counter-arguments.

    6 August 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 30 July

  1. South African Finance Minister exercises power with presidential support

    South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is wielding considerable power as the second-most influential figure in government after President Cyril Ramaphosa, as demonstrated by his decisions at the Public Investment Corporation and actions affecting municipalities. The article notes that a finance minister typically holds more actual authority than other senior officials due to their control over the national budget, and Godongwana has been able to exercise this power with clear presidential backing.

    30 July 2026 · The Namibian →

Friday 24 July

  1. DA hired Dubai consultancy led by GNU negotiator for R7.8m

    The DA entered a confidential contract with Dubai-based Consulum, led by Ryan Coetzee who had negotiated the party's GNU participation, to manage the DA's government operations from September 2024 to February 2025 for just over $470,000. The firm, a former Bell Pottinger spin-off, was tasked with developing ministerial strategies, managing communications, and training political staff.

    24 July 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 18 June

  1. South Africa's DA leader demotes agriculture minister Steenhuisen

    Democratic Alliance leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has removed John Steenhuisen as South African agriculture minister and demoted him to deputy minister of trade, industry and competition. Willie Aucamp, a farmer, will replace Steenhuisen, with Hill-Lewis requesting several other cabinet shuffles in the DA's coalition government roles, pending Ramaphosa's approval.

    18 June 2026 · The Namibian →

Wednesday 10 June

  1. South Africa's conference reflects deeper structural crisis in Southern Africa

    The recent Conference of the Left in South Africa represents a symptom of a deeper structural transition across Southern Africa, where the historical legitimacy of liberation movements is weakening while no new political paradigm has emerged with sufficient credibility to replace it, leaving a vacuum of authority that breeds chaos, inequality, and extreme political shifts.

    10 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →

Tuesday 12 May

  1. South African president seeks legal review of impeachment report

    President Cyril Ramaphosa announced he will pursue a judicial review of a Section 89 independent panel report that could lead to his impeachment over the Phala Phala saga. The Constitutional Court cleared the path for a public impeachment hearing into Ramaphosa's conduct on 8 May.

    12 May 2026 · The Namibian →

Monday 11 May

  1. Ramaphosa likely to survive impeachment despite Constitutional Court ruling

    A Constitutional Court ruling has forced Parliament to consider impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over allegations concerning US dollars stolen from his home. However, analysis suggests it is unlikely he will be removed from office, as a two-thirds majority of MPs would be required and the ANC's interests appear to align with his remaining in power.

    11 May 2026 · The Namibian →

Saturday 9 May

  1. Constitutional Court rules parliament violated constitution blocking Ramaphosa impeachment

    South Africa's Constitutional Court ruled that parliament violated the constitution by blocking moves to impeach president Cyril Ramaphosa in 2022, following a legal challenge by Julius Malema's Economic Freedom Fighters and others. The ruling could result in fresh impeachment proceedings; Ramaphosa's office says he respects the judgement and reaffirms his commitment to the constitution and rule of law.

    9 May 2026 · The Namibian →

Tuesday 28 April

  1. NFP expels KZN legislator who blocked Zuma's party takeover

    The National Freedom Party has expelled its sole representative in the KZN legislature, Mbali Shinga, after she defied party leadership to vote against a motion of no confidence in Premier Thami Ntuli in December, preventing the MK party from seizing control of the province.

    28 April 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 23 April

  1. ANC demands members choose between party, SACP

    The ANC has given its members who also belong to the SACP a 10-day deadline to declare which party they will campaign for in local elections, after the SACP announced it would contest independently. The move highlights tensions within the historically intertwined alliance and poses practical complications for senior figures like SACP chairperson Blade Nzimande and ANC Chair Gwede Mantashe, both of whom hold ministerial positions.

    23 April 2026 · The Namibian →

Wednesday 15 April

  1. South Africa's DA party elects young new leader to broaden appeal

    Geordin Hill-Lewis, 39, has become leader of South Africa's second-largest Democratic Alliance party, tasked with extending its support beyond its predominantly white and minority voter base to the black majority who make up about 80% of the population. Hill-Lewis has acknowledged a "trust deficit" and says winning the trust of more black South Africans will be his main focus, supported by a more diverse and younger senior leadership team than his predecessors.

    15 April 2026 · The Namibian →

Monday 23 March

  1. South Africa: ANC signals mayoral strategy for Johannesburg election

    President Ramaphosa's comments suggesting retention of Johannesburg's current mayor signal possible ANC plans to impose a national candidate on the region, while the party's recent march focused on defending national sovereignty appears designed to shift campaign messaging away from local service delivery failures to broader anti-Trump and liberation movement themes.

    23 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 19 March

  1. Russian agents conducted covert operations in South Africa elections

    A data leak reviewed by Forbidden Stories reveals that Russian influence agents engaged in covert operations during South African election campaigns between 2019 and 2025, including secret meetings with ANC leadership, smear campaigns against opposition parties, and fabricated documents. The Company, a network run by Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, allocated significant budgets for online disinformation campaigns and paid social media influencers to target political opponents.

    19 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Sunday 8 March

  1. South African court strikes down minister's VAT-setting powers

    The Western Cape High Court declared that South Africa's VAT Act unconstitutionally delegates tax-setting authority to the finance minister, a power that must rest with parliament. Judge Matthew Francis ruled that parliament has 24 months to remedy the constitutional defect, with the current VAT rate to remain in effect unless parliament itself amends the law.

    8 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 5 March

  1. Mosiuoa Lekota's legacy beyond apartheid struggle honored

    The Namibian's analysis of Mosiuoa Lekota, who died on Wednesday, argues that his role in forming the Congress of the People in 2008 was equally vital to his anti-apartheid activism. By breaking the ANC's political dominance, Cope's 1.3 million votes prevented Zuma's government from securing a two-thirds majority, shifted South African politics from racial to policy-based competition, and inspired the formation of other parties including the EFF and ActionSA, fundamentally changing the country's democratic trajectory.

    5 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Monday 23 February

  1. Zille and Mashaba lead Johannesburg mayoral race as ANC falters

    The race for Johannesburg's mayor is now dominated by DA candidate Helen Zille and ActionSA president Herman Mashaba, with the ANC yet to name a candidate and facing declining support in the city. Infrastructure failures and declining voter turnout in traditional ANC strongholds like Soweto have reshaped the political landscape ahead of local elections expected in late November 2026.

    23 February 2026 · The Namibian →

  2. ANC facing structural decline in Gauteng ahead of elections

    The ANC in Gauteng is weakened by service delivery failures, corruption, and entrenched factionalism among regional leaders, leaving the party unable to arrest its decline before local elections. With a minority government vulnerable to no-confidence votes, the party may resort to horse-trading with opposition parties to pass budgets, perpetuating extraction and undermining governance.

    23 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Tuesday 17 February

  1. South Africa's DA leader Steenhuisen steps down amid scandals

    John Steenhuisen, leader of South Africa's Democratic Alliance and agriculture minister in the coalition government, announced he will step down at the party's April congress following multiple scandals including poor handling of foot-and-mouth disease, personal financial mismanagement, and controversy over the sacking of Environment Minister Dion George. His departure opens the way for successors including Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.

    17 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Friday 13 February

  1. Ramaphosa's 2026 Sona balances competing interests through strategic ambiguity

    South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's 2026 State of the Nation Address employed careful political calculations to address diverse constituencies—including populists demanding military intervention, ANC loyalists seeking preservation of state ownership, free-marketeers wanting private sector participation, and others—while deliberately omitting topics like the Expropriation Act and farm murders that might alienate coalition partners. The speech also downgraded previous priorities like the Fourth Industrial Revolution in favour of green economy rhetoric, and reduced the urgency around gender-based violence despite its earlier treatment as a national emergency.

    13 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Friday 6 February

  1. DA prepares leadership contest as Steenhuisen steps down

    Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen announced he will not seek re-election for a third term, stating his focus must shift to combating foot-and-mouth disease as agriculture minister. Minister Dean Macpherson praised Steenhuisen's decision as showing "remarkable political intuition and maturity," while potential successors including Macpherson and Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis position themselves ahead of the party's April elective congress, with nominations opening on 27 February.

    6 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 5 February

  1. Steenhuisen's exit highlights DA's tough leadership challenge

    John Steenhuisen's decision to step down as Democratic Alliance leader follows revelations about his personal credit card debt and the controversial removal of environment minister Dion George. The incoming leader must navigate questions about race, the party's electoral strategy, and its relationship with the ANC government—while protecting the DA's core claim to integrity that distinguishes it from other parties.

    5 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Wednesday 4 February

  1. South African DA leader pressured to step down from party role

    John Steenhuisen, leader of South Africa's Democratic Alliance, is being forced to announce he will not seek a third term as party leader, with the decision framed as his own choice to focus on his Agriculture minister portfolio. In exchange, he is permitted to retain his ministerial post, though party insiders say the decision was driven by internal pressure, an FLC investigation into his conduct, and concerns that his controversies—including credit card debt and perceived mishandling of a cattle crisis—could damage the party's prospects in upcoming local elections.

    4 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Tuesday 3 February

  1. South Africa's DA leader Steenhuisen withdraws from party race

    Reports indicate that Democratic Alliance federal leader John Steenhuisen will announce he will not contest in the party's leadership race at its April national federal congress, withdrawing from competition against Western Cape premier Alan Winde, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, and communications minister Solly Malatsi.

    3 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Sunday 25 January

  1. South Africa's DA party fractures over leadership, GNU role, Zille influence

    The Democratic Alliance is heading into a leadership contest marked by deep internal tensions over its participation in the Government of National Unity, the outsized influence of federal council chairperson Helen Zille, and broader questions of party identity and inclusivity. The departure of former MP Dion George—who accused the party of lacking transparency—has exposed a climate of fear and accusations that the DA practices internally the opposite of the values it preaches nationally.

    25 January 2026 · The Namibian →

Tuesday 20 January

  1. MK Party prepares new motion against KZN Premier Ntuli

    The MK Party, which won 37 of 80 seats in the 2024 KwaZulu-Natal elections, says it is preparing another motion of no confidence against Premier Thami Ntuli, claiming it can improve service delivery on unemployment, poverty, crime, and water challenges if it takes control of the province.

    20 January 2026 · The Namibian →

Democratic Alliance — Namibian press coverage · Namibia Minute