South Africa's newly elected Democratic Alliance (DA) party leader, Geordin Hill-Lewis, said on Monday he will focus on addressing a "trust deficit" among Black voters as he seeks to grow the DA into the biggest party in the country.

The DA is South Africa's second-biggest party with about 22% of seats in parliament, but it has a reputation as the party of white privilege in a majority Black country and has struggled to grow in recent years.

Cape Town Mayor Hill-Lewis is its second white leader in a row, succeeding Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen.

"I really want to focus the party on communicating, on conveying and on, most importantly, demonstrating that we genuinely care about the advancement of every South African," he told reporters.

This would mean being more present in communities and vocal about the issues that are worrying voters, he said.

"You can't blame the voters... you have to look internally at why that trust deficit still exists," he added, in response to a question about mistrust from Black voters.

DA MAINTAINS OPPOSITION TO BLACK EMPOWERMENT LAW

The DA entered into a coalition government in 2024 with the long-ruling African National Congress, which has been steadily losing support due to corruption scandals and dysfunctional basic services.

Hill-Lewis said he was committed to making the coalition work but also said his mission was for the DA to surpass the ANC, which has almost twice as many seats in parliament, and to be president someday.

One of the DA's most prominent policy positions is its opposition to Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE), the ANC's affirmative action framework which gives companies incentives to hire and promote Black people, who remain deeply disadvantaged three decades after the end of apartheid.

Hill-Lewis said this does not mean the party is against Black advancement, although he acknowledged that some people see it that way.

"We have to make it clear to Black South Africans that we are genuinely invested in and care about their advancement, but we do not support the current model," he said.