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Hill-Lewis takes DA jobs pitch to Mpumalanga rally

Published

DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis told an Mpumalanga rally on Saturday that Cape Town added 418 000 jobs in five years under the DA. He urged voters to back DA-run municipalities in the 4 November local government elections.

Hill-Lewis claimed the 418 000 jobs make up nearly half of all employment growth across South Africa's eight metros. He also said Cape Town created as many new jobs as the other seven metros combined. Economists note that job creation depends on several factors, not only municipal governance.

Hill-Lewis also criticised ANC-run municipalities over the water crisis in Bronkhorstspruit. The City of Tshwane supplied unchlorinated water to the town for three weeks, from 24 September to 14 October. More than 400 people fell ill with gastrointestinal illness, most of them children under four.

The Department of Water and Sanitation tested the water in Bronkhorstspruit on 14 October. Tshwane deployed 36 water tankers. Hill-Lewis said the crisis followed problems with the city's chlorine supplier.

Hill-Lewis linked services to jobs. He said: "You can’t run a business without electricity. You can’t attract investment without water. You can’t transport goods without decent roads," He also pledged in August to create 500 000 more jobs in Cape Town over the next five-year term.

Key facts

Who
Geordin Hill-Lewis (DA leader); Statistics South Africa (source of Quarterly Labour Force Survey data cited); Department of Water and Sanitation (conducted water tests in Bronkhorstspruit on 14 October); City of Tshwane (municipality that supplied unchlorinated water to Bronkhorstspruit)
What
At a rally in Mpumalanga on Saturday, Hill-Lewis claimed Cape Town added 418 000 jobs over five years under DA governance, nearly half of metro employment growth across South Africa's eight metros, and criticised ANC-run municipalities over the Bronkhorstspruit water crisis.
When
24 October 2026
Where
Mpumalanga, Cape Town, Bronkhorstspruit
Status
Reported

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