Getting South Africa Working
11–12 April 2026 • Gallagher Convention Centre • Midrand, Gauteng •11–12 April 2026 • Gallagher Convention Centre • Midrand, Gauteng •
Media Centre
Thank you for covering DA Federal Congress 2026. This page contains everything you need to report on the event across both days. For urgent assistance on the ground, go straight to the contacts at the bottom of this page.
ON THIS PAGE
- Accreditation
- Media Room
- Programme Information
- Live Broadcast and Clean Feed
- Stage and Technical Rules
- How Voting Works
- Spokespeople and Media Contacts
ACCREDITATION
Accreditation for DA Federal Congress 2026 is handled in advance, with on-site collection and support available.
The accreditation process closed on Monday, 30 March 2026, with final confirmations issued ahead of Congress.
On-site registration desks will operate as follows:
- Thursday, 9 April: 14h00 to 17h00
- Friday, 10 April: 10h00 to 13:00
- Saturday, 11 April: from 06h00
- Sunday, 12 April: from 07h00
Accredited media will receive:
- An access arm band
- Access to designated media areas and Congress floor (as permitted)
- Inclusion in the official media WhatsApp group for real-time updates
For accreditation queries or on-site assistance, contact:
- René Vaughan – Accreditation & Access Lead
MEDIA ROOM
The Media Room is located at Gallagher Convention Centre – Media Centre (Hall 3) and is open to accredited media from 06h00 on Saturday, 11 April.
The room is equipped with:
- Dedicated high-speed Wi-Fi
- Power points and charging stations
- Workstations (available)
- Printing facilities (available on request)
- Screens showing the live Congress feed
- DA media support staff on hand throughout both days
Congress spokespeople will provide regular updates in the Media Room on constitutional amendments, resolutions and Congress outcomes. Briefing times will be announced via the official media WhatsApp group.
For Media Room support and journalist assistance:
- Eldé Muller – Media Room & Journalist Experience Lead
LIVE BROADCASTS AND CLEAN FEED
Congress 2026 will be broadcast live on the DA’s website and across all social media platforms.
Accredited broadcasters requiring a high-quality, clean feed or technical support should contact:
- Richard Newton – Broadcast & Technical Operations Lead
#DACongress2026
STAGE AND TECHNICAL RULES
No external microphones will be permitted on stage. All broadcast audio must be drawn from the official clean feed. Contact Richard Newton: +27 (76) 763 7568 for broadcast technical support and feed access.
Camera positions and floor access for photographers and videographers are subject to the direction of the Congress production team.
The Closed Session on Day 2 is not open to media.
HOW VOTING WORKS
Leadership Elections
Leadership voting uses OpaVote, a secure independent online voting platform.
Each delegate receives a personal secret voting code before voting opens on Sunday 12 April from 06h00 to 08h45. Delegates use this code to access their ballot on their own device or on a supplied laptop at the venue. The ballot is entirely anonymous.
Where there are two candidates, delegates select their preferred candidate. Where there are more than two candidates, delegates rank all candidates in order of preference. The winner is determined by the single transferable vote counting system.
Voting processes are facilitated by DA professional staff and overseen by independent auditors.
Constitutional Amendments and Resolutions
Voting on Constitutional Amendments takes place on Saturday 11 April. Voting on Resolutions takes place on both days. Delegates vote by raising physical voting cards — Green = For and Red = Against. The chairperson of the session announces each result from the floor.
A two-thirds majority is required to pass Constitutional Amendments. A 50% majority is required to pass Resolutions.
SPOKESPEOPLE AND MEDIA CONTACTS
For efficient coordination during Congress, media are encouraged to contact the relevant team members below depending on their needs:
Federal Congress Spokespersons
Luyolo Mphithi, MP – 066 380 6680
Nazley Sharif, MP – 079 875 4930
Congress Media Team
(For operational coordination, logistics, and media support)
Dominique Jeftha – 066 226 6400
Media Lead & WhatsApp Group Coordination (Main point of contact for media coordination and updates)
Charity McCord – 078 126 2765
Media Liaison (pre-interview scheduling and one-on-one interviews)
Eldé Muller – 076 475 6261
Media Room & Journalist Experience (Media room support, distributing press releases and handling of media queries)
Richard Newton – 076 763 7568
Broadcast & Technical Operations (All broadcast, studio, and clean feed requirements)
René Vaughan – 084 805 3536
Accreditation & Access (All accreditation, access, and entry-related queries)
Official media WhatsApp group: Contact Dominique Jeftha to be added. All briefing times, result updates and asset drop notifications will go through this group.
DA Federal Congress • Getting south africa working •DA Federal Congress • Getting south africa working •
