The Patriotic Alliance’s Liam Jacobs is setting his sights on the Cape Town mayoral chain and has started his campaign, focusing on the hot-button issue of housing.

He defected from the DA in June in dramatic form, and his political rise has been swift.

Jacobs is set to leave Johannesburg, and his short-lived stint as the MMC for Transport after PA leader Gayton McKenzie cleared Kenny Kunene of all wrongdoing, following a probe by law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr.

McKenzie suspended Kunene in July after he was present at the Sandton home of businessman Katiso “KT” Molefe, a suspect in the 2022 assassination of popular musician and club owner Oupa “DJ Sumbody” Sefoka.

In a Facebook Live broadcast on Monday night, McKenzie expressed his relief that his Deputy has been exonerated.

“The DP has been found that his story checks out. Liam (Jacobs) will resign tonight as a councillor because he is moving straight to Cape Town. He’s gonna live in Cape Town full-time because he has to travel around the country.”

Earlier in September, Jacobs officially received the nod from the PA to run as its mayoral candidate in Cape Town for the upcoming 2026 local government elections.

The 24-year-old has lost no time in signalling that he will fight for affordable housing in the Mother City.

In a series of posts on X, Jacobs has made it clear where he thinks the ruling DA is erring in its approach to housing.

He claims, amongst others, that under the DA, Cape Town is being built to be exclusive, with even the city’s periphery being pushed further and further away.

“We have to look at new ways to tackle the housing and cost-of-living crisis, because the same old approach is not working. Maar goetes sal kom balance.”

He also says the rental system is rigged against ordinary Capetonians, arguing that the government should step in to regulate runaway rental increases and to ensure affordable housing is built where economic opportunities exist.

“Young professionals and families are being constantly and systematically priced out of Cape Town. That is the DA’s legacy. But believe me, there’s a way to change this, and we will fix it.”

Jacobs accuses the DA of protecting the ultra-wealthy and that he will fight for all Capetonians, not just a privileged few.

“Beware when the DA says it’s building homes, ask where they’re being built. They pack people into matchboxes in dense areas, while never creating affordable housing in wealthy, spacious suburbs. This is social engineering of the worst kind. Location is justice, and right now, we’re pushed to the periphery, locked out of home ownership. It’s Group Areas Act 2.0, and we will break it.”

In reality, the housing issue is extremely complex, not just for Cape Town, but across the world, with affordability a challenge all over successful Cities.

The claim that the City has done nothing to address affordable housing is also disingenuous.

Some inner-City affordable housing projects have been announced recently.

READ: R2 billion inner-city housing development launched

In June, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis also announced new by-law amendments that will speed up affordable housing delivery, particularly in townships and lower-income suburbs, by supporting small-scale developers.

Incentives include pre-approved building plans, land release, and utility discounts for social housing. Focus areas include Athlone, Maitland, Parow/Elsies River, Bellville, and Diep River.

READ: Revised By-Law to ease affordable rental housing development