Fear of crime and corruption has emerged, along with unemployment, water provision and local government infrastructure failure, as the biggest factors in turning South Africans off politics and politicians.

When Geordin Hill-Lewis emerged victorious as the new DA federal leader on Sunday, 12 April, he laid out a single national priority for the blue party: to stop fear ruling South Africans' lives.

"We are a country of many crises, but there is one crisis above all others that holds our country back. It is the fear that people wake up with every morning.

"The fear that is with us all the time, while we walk in our neighbourhoods and even in our homes. The fear that our children won't make it home from school. The fear of every woman - knowing they are a target, simply because they are a woman.

"The fear of the elderly person who double-locks the door and prays that tonight will be quiet. The fear of the small business owner who wonders whether they should just close their business and go hungry rather than pay protection money. The fear of the farmer who goes to sleep knowing that help, if he calls for it, is hours away," Hill-Lewis said.

DA CONGRESS 2026 Geordin Hill-Lewis lays out 4-point plan as he becomes DA federal leader at 39 April 12, 2026 His...