'Steenhuisen was a tougher opponent': Hill-Lewis and McKenzie in war of words

DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis and Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie have clashed publicly over illegal firearms, gang violence and Cape Town’s crime-fighting operations.

DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis triggered a war of words with Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie when he posted about removing illegal guns from the streets this week.

Hill-Lewis posted on both social media platform X and Facebook in an apparent swipe at McKenzie, EFF leader Julius Malema and National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams, whom he showed with rifles.

McKenzie was shown in a photo with a crowd, including a balaclava-clad armed bodyguard, while Malema was shown holding a rifle when he testified in the magistrate’s court in KuGompo, Adams held two rifles and a man wearing Patriotic Alliance T-shirt held a rifle.

“While we are taking these illegal guns off the streets, it seems our opposition keeps showing them off. The DA will fight for law and order and beating crime in Cape Town, removing these weapons from our streets, and making communities safer for all,” he said in his post shared on both his X and Facebook.

DA leader and City of Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis sparked exchange of words with Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie.

One social media commentator asked if Hill-Lewis was saying that the DA will ban citizens from owning legal firearms.

In response, Hill-Lewis said he was referring to illegal guns that flood into communities.

“These politicians are setting a bad example for our youth,” he said.

Hill-Lewis did not respond when he was questioned on social media why he used Malema’s photo testifying in court in his post. 

On Tuesday, McKenzie responded, stating that he had never seen Hill-Lewis come out at night when kids were laying dead in the streets of Cape Town.

“You are never at night on the Cape Flats. You worry about licensed guns, go get the illegal guns from gangsters that get bought by money from tenders from your government,” wrote the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture on X.

Some social users disagreed with McKenzie’s claim that the Cape Town mayoral candidate was never out at night on the Cape Flats.

Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie responded to DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis's post on removing illegal guns from Cape Town streets.

Hill-Lewis said in another response gangsters call McKenzie while Cape Town Metro Police fight gangsters and take illegal guns off the streets daily.

“I work to make communities safer. You have phone calls with gangsters,” he said and showed a video where the minister had announced that he had received a phone call from a gang leader.

However, McKenzie responded stating that Hill-Lewis has given the boss of the 28s gang major tenders in Cape Town.  

“I represent everyone hence they call me President. Your party funds gangsterism. Deny it publicly?,” he said.

Referring to Hill-Lewis as being highly confused, McKenzie said “the biggest amount of money any gang received, they received through tenders from your government, that money bus guns and those guns kill people daily”. 

In a separate post on Facebook, the minister asked the DA leader where the City’s newly launched Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and the ShotStopper, a gunshot-detection system, were.

He also accused Hill-Lewis of spending millions in taxpayers’ money to implement the SWAT and Shotstopper projects.

“Our people are dying under your leadership,” he said.

“You are worried about trained security employed by the PA instead of concentrating on finding illegal firearms on the Cape Flats. Why are you worried about my security? Is there a hit out on me and the guys are making it difficult,” he said.

In response to Hill-Lewis’ call to DA voters to not vote for small parties to stop a “coalition chaos” in the City, McKenzie urged the DA leader to start packing.

“Use your last days in office constructively instead of Swart Gevaar tactics, it’s over @geordinhl, 43% is the best you will do, Steenhuisen was a tougher opponent,” he added.