DA Faces Backlash Over Castle Board Appointment: Loyalty or Leadership?

When the DA took control of Cape Town, it promised to put an end to political patronage. But the storm around Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis’ decision to appoint his chief of staff, James-Brent Styan, to the Castle Control Board has reopened the very debate the party has long accused the ANC of abusing: cadre deployment.

Heritage Meets Politics

The Castle of Good Hope isn’t just another government portfolio. Built in the 1600s, it’s South Africa’s oldest surviving colonial building deeply contested ground where history, tourism, and cultural identity collide.

Traditionally, the City has sent a councillor an elected representative to serve on the Castle Control Board, which manages the site on behalf of the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans. This time, however, Hill-Lewis broke with convention, nominating Styan, a trusted aide who previously worked as spokesperson for Western Cape MEC Anton Bredell.

That’s when opposition parties pounced.

Opposition Cries Hypocrisy

GOOD councillor Roscoe Palm was blunt:

“This is textbook cadre deployment. Styan wasn’t picked for expertise in heritage or tourism he was picked because he’s an insider.”

Palm went further, warning that loyalist appointments threaten the integrity of heritage spaces:

“We saw it with the Amazon development. When political cronies are placed in charge, public heritage becomes vulnerable.”

The National Coloured Congress (NCC) echoed this frustration, calling the DA’s move proof it “does not trust its own councillors.” The ANC caucus, meanwhile, took a more measured stance: it supported the council item but flagged the “pattern of insider appointments” as a concern that needs monitoring.

The City Pushes Back

The Mayor’s office dismissed the uproar as political noise. Mayoral spokesperson Lyndon Khan argued that because the role is unpaid, it cannot fall under the label of cadre deployment:

“No Capetonian is happy with how poorly the Castle has been managed in recent years. This appointment is about fresh energy, not political patronage.”

Styan himself has kept silent, not responding to media requests by publication deadline.

The Bigger Picture: A Battle of Narratives

At the heart of the debate lies a question South Africans know too well: when does political loyalty cross into patronage?

The ANC has long been accused of filling key posts with insiders, a practice critics say hollowed out state institutions. The DA, for years, has capitalised on this narrativeframing itself as the party of clean governance. Now, with the Castle appointment, rivals say the DA has slipped into the very trap it condemns.

On social media, reactions mirrored this split. Some Capetonians welcomed the idea of “new energy” for the Castle, arguing that its tourism potential has been wasted. Others accused the DA of “ANC-style politics in blue.”

Why This Matters

Beyond party squabbles, this controversy hits a nerve about trust in public institutions. The Castle of Good Hope is more than a fortressit’s a site of memory, pain, and resilience. For many, its management should rise above party lines.

Whether Styan’s appointment brings real change or fuels further accusations of hypocrisy, one thing is clear: the Castle has once again become a battleground, not only of history but of South Africa’s ongoing struggle with political loyalty and accountability.