Geordin Hill-Lewis is the Mayor of Cape Town, a position he has held since November 2021. Before this, he was a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly for ten years (2011 to 2021) where he served as Shadow Minister of Trade and Industry, and then Finance. He was the youngest MP when he was elected to Parliament and the youngest mayor when he was inaugurated. See his bio here.

Geordin Hill-Lewis was in conversation with Ann Bernstein, CDE’s executive director, on his experience as the Mayor of Cape Town. The City has drawn praise for its administration (even from political opponents) but continues to grapple with deep-seated poverty and inequality.

For 30 years, CDE has influenced policy in South Africa’s democracy. We have established ourselves as a unique policy think tank and prominent public ‘voice’ promoting enterprise and development in South Africa and emerging markets. We have built a wide network throughout the country and with leading global experts and think tanks, especially in democratic developing countries.

CDE’s flagship project, AGENDA 2024: Priorities for South Africa’s new government, based on extensive policy work and collaboration with experts, business leaders, former public servants and academics, sets out to answer what is by far the most important question facing South Africa: What can a new government do to get the country back on track after 15 years of stagnation and decline? See related media statements here, the op-eds here and the reports in the ACTION series, here.