Cape Town Council Sees Second Defection to DA
The new defections have vowed to continue with their ideological mission from within the DA, and have been publicly welcomed by Geordin HIll-Lewis
Lungiswa Ntshuntshe, a councillor from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), has defected to the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Cape Town’s municipal council, marking the second such crossover in recent weeks. The move follows Banele Majingo’s departure from the African National Congress (ANC) to the DA last month. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced Ntshuntshe’s defection on Tuesday, stating, “It’s such a pleasure to welcome councillor Lungiswa Ntshuntshe from the EFF, who is today resigning from that failing organisation and joining the DA.”
Ntshuntshe cited the DA’s resources as the reason for her switch. Her defection is notable, given her participation in an EFF-led disruption of Hill-Lewis’ council address in August 2024, when party members halted proceedings to protest a taxi strike. The EFF has yet to formally respond but indicated a statement is forthcoming.
The DA has framed these defections as evidence of its growing appeal. Hill-Lewis remarked, “I think it’s a growing trend in South Africa that people are seeing the DA as the only party that can truly build the future of our country in a productive and constructive way.”
Majingo’s earlier defection, however, drew sharp criticism from black nationalists, who branded him a “traitor,” “sellout,” and “weak.” Some expressed being “bitterly disappointed.”
Majingo, in response, rejected the accusations, stating, “Those words were easily available for them to use. But I do not believe that I am a sellout, that I’m weak, or I’m a traitor. I am still in the revolution, and I have not betrayed it. I have left the organisation, but the agenda still stays the same [...] at the moment, the ANC is at the weakest in the region, and in the City of Cape Town, it’s at the weakest. I doubt that they will be able to pull any dramatic results from where they are now.”
ANC regional spokesperson Akhona Jonginamba dismissed Majingo’s stated reasons for joining the DA—alignment with its values of clean governance and economic growth—as false. Jonginamba claimed Majingo’s move was motivated by self-interest, specifically to safeguard his position in council ahead of the 2026 local government elections, following his implication in the Kgalema Motlanthe report for allegedly manipulating candidate selection processes in 2021. The ANC framed his departure as “good riddance”.
This follows a recent scandal where the DA were caught having offered an ANC councillor in Swellendam a R2m bribe to defect. The VF+ then purged their councillor Juan van Schalkwyk from the party for pressing the issue, in order to preserve harmony with the DA, who had threatened to terminate all municipal coalitions with the party.
Majingo’s exit had immediate political consequences. He had been spearheading a no-confidence motion against council speaker Felicity Purchase, but his absence at a critical council meeting caused the motion to lapse, frustrating opposition parties.
Veteran political analyst Frans Cronje warned on a recent BizNews podcast that the DA should be wary, as ANC-rooted infiltration and "trojan horse" strategies had been used to destroy parties before, including the UDM, COPE, and ATM.
