Between 2019 and 2021 it was led by Rory Jubber with Nigel Bruce acting as chairperson. Previously the DA Abroad was led by Ludre Stevens between 2009 and 2015 and then by Francine Higham between 2015 and 2019 with Morné Van der Waltsleben as Global Operations Chair from 2013 to 2017. In the Gauteng Province, the first dually elected Democratic Alliance Youth Provincial Executive Committee took office in November 2017 after they were elected at the Gauteng Provincial Congress the same year. The current Interim Federal Leader, Nicholas Nyati, was elected at the Interim Democratic Alliance Youth Federal Congress in 2022.

It was built over many years by leaders who each strengthened this party in different ways, often in difficult times, and against the prevailing tide. A legacy of leadership The Democratic Alliance did not become the party it is today by accident. Johannesburg is a city of incredible people and untapped potential. When municipalities collapse, crime thrives. Welcome to the DA’s dedicated page for our role in the Government of National Unity (GNU). Law enforcement official Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi reportedly also accused the party Spokesperson on State Security, Dianne Kohler Barnard, of being a part of a crime syndicate.

The party also supports a universal old age pension, and the abolishment of pension means tests. In addition, to aid with youth development skills, the party proposed a R6000 opportunity voucher or twelve month community service programme to all high school matriculants. The party also supports legislation that would require the legal guardians of children living in poverty to ensure that their child attends 85 per cent of school classes, and undergoes routine health check-ups.

The PPP chairman placed the issue of constitutional rights at the centre of the party’s election campaign in GB. Under the programme, 20,000 scholarships will be awarded to students at all public-sector universities in Sindh. For the first time in history, all the key posts in the Rawalpindi division administration and local police have changed at the same time.

• In addition, to aid with youth development skills, the party proposed a R6000 opportunity voucher or twelve month community service programme to all high school matriculants.

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• Between 2019 and 2021 it was led by Rory Jubber with Nigel Bruce acting as chairperson.

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• This formed the basis of the philosophy underlying the party's 2009 Election Manifesto, which seeks to build a society by linking outcomes to "opportunity, effort and ability".
• Following Cabanac's appointment he was described by the EFF and City Press newspaper as being "racist and a Nazi-sympathiser" for past comments leading to additional accusations of the DA as a whole of "being white supremacist".

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• This fits into the party's broader vision of growing the economy by cutting red tape and regulations it claims is holding back South Africa's economic growth.

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• In addition, the party announced its support for a prison labour programme, which would put prisoners to work in various community upliftment programmes.

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Economy

In 2013, the DA launched the "Know Your DA" campaign, in an attempt to try to show that the DA (via its proxy predecessor organisations) was involved in the struggle against apartheid. Helen Suzman and Harry Schwarz, who were prominent anti-apartheid campaigners during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s The current leader of the party is Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, who assumed leadership on 12 April 2026, after the party's Federal Congress. A member of Liberal International and the Africa Liberal Network, the DA traces its roots to the founding of the anti-apartheid Progressive Party in 1959, with many mergers and name changes between that time and the present. The party, considered to be South Africa's most diverse in terms of membership and voters, draws its support predominantly from Afrikaans and English speakers, people aged over 35, as well as white South Africans, Indian/Asian communities, and Coloured communities.

Social development

In May 2026, the party set out a 100-day crime plan that included lifestyle audits of police officers, rebuilding Crime Intelligence and giving local governments a greater role in crime prevention. Cuthbert filled the position nearly five years after the previous CEO Simon Dickinson resigned following a year in the role. The party's Gauteng provincial leader Solly Msimanga was elected Federal Chairperson, the party's second-highest position, having defeated incumbent Ivan Meyer. On 4 February 2026, DA Leader John Steenhuisen announced that he would be stepping down from his party leadership role, to focus exclusively on his portfolio as Minister of Agriculture. The ANC failed to gain a majority of seats in the National Assembly after the election, leading to the DA agreeing to form a coalition of national unity (Third Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa), entering ruling government for the first time.

The ANC issued a detailed critique of the campaign, focusing especially on Suzman's role in the apartheid parliament. These interventions include a wage subsidy programme to reduce the cost of hiring first-time workers. During his speech in his hometown of Durban, Steenhuisen highlighted the major success of the DA, under his leadership, of joining the ruling national government for the first time, after the party played a major role in the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU).

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Current policies

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Other fiscal interventions have included a proposed scrapping of value added tax (VAT) on books and tax rebates for crime prevention expenditure by businesses. This is evident in the party's previous alternative budget frameworks, with both alternative budgets posting deficits. The party's health policy also plans to devote more resources to vaccinations against common childhood illnesses. The DA's "Quality Care for All" programme is focused on tackling the country's high HIV/AIDS infection rate.

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Partially on the basis of this campaign the DA contested the 2014 general election, where it once again grew its support base but failed in its stated goal of winning Gauteng province. This campaign focused mainly on the role played by a few key individuals in opposing apartheid – particularly Helen Suzman and Helen Zille. During this time, the party was led by liberal-minded opponents of Apartheid, such as Jan Steytler, Helen Suzman, Zach de Beer, Colin Eglin, Frederik van Zyl Slabbert and Harry Schwarz. The DA's Young Leaders Programme (YLP) is a political leadership development programme for South Africans between the ages of 18 and 35. The DA Abroad aims to grow the DA's overseas voter base, actively lobby for international awareness and influence for the furtherance of policies and action programmes of the DA and develop a global interconnected community that supports an open opportunity society for all. However, the DA, like the ANC, supports a two state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, seeking peaceful resolution between the two, and for Palestine to be free, saying "the people of Palestine are not defined by Hamas".