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Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has come out swinging at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s approach to dealing with the country’s economic crisis.

Writing in a newsletter to the public, Hill-Lewis slammed the president’s record: “Years of investment pledges, presidential conferences, economic recovery plans, social compacts, and repeated promises that job creation is imminent have not resulted in job creation.”

He was responding to Ramaphosa’s own weekly newsletter, which had praised the outcome of what Hill-Lewis called “yet another investment gathering”.

He went on to note that under Ramaphosa’s tenure, the unemployment rate had risen from 26.7% to 32.7%.

Ramaphosa has made high-profile investment roadshows and conferences a key element of his programme to “mobilise” investment.

Hill-Lewis noted that this ignored the shaky economic foundations of the country. “Businesses are asked to invest in a country where ports do not work properly, rail is unreliable, crime is out of control, many municipalities are failing and electricity remains too expensive and unreliable.”

He added that the DA’s record in government was based on “a deliberate focus on governance basics”.

Hill-Lewis said that while the African National Congress (ANC) “offers conferences, pledges and bromides, the DA offers a record of delivery where we govern and a reform agenda for the country”.

This was reflected in the performance of the Western Cape, where unemployment stood at around 20%, and the City of Cape Town, which outperformed other metros in this regard. The DA governs both in the province of the Western Cape and in the city of Cape Town.

The in-your-face criticism of the president and his failings is noteworthy as the DA navigates its positioning, being both in government with the ANC and also contending for power against it. While public sentiment has been positive towards the Government of National Unity, the DA has faced some criticism for being overly accommodating of the ANC. This was especially the case under its former leader, John Steenhuisen, who serves as a Cabinet minister.

Under Hill-Lewis, the party is evidently pivoting back towards a more oppositional stance against the ANC. This has also been clear in its approach to campaigning for the local government elections, where DA representatives have harshly taken on the ANC and its record – while pointing to the DA’s own achievements.