Cape Town election 2026: Leaders focus on housing, crime and service delivery

During the 2026 local elections, political leaders in Cape Town and the Western Cape focused on affordable housing, gang violence, municipal services and political change. GOOD Party leader Patricia de Lille called for municipal budgets to prioritise disadvantaged communities and for public land to be used to build housing near jobs. ActionSA mayoral candidate Dereleen James put youth development at the centre of her crime plan, while DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis defended the city’s affordable-housing record. The NCC predicted the DA would fall below 50% in the province, and the United Democratic Front’s return to electoral politics also marked the vote.