Hofmeyr returned to Cape Town in 1865 as a wealthy man and as he engaged in moneylending on a large scale. He was particularly interested in municipal affairs and became a member of the city council and was Mayor of Cape Town between 1878 and 1879. He served on the municipal financial committee for many years and was also a member of the divisional council and for many years an executive member of the Cape branch of the political party, the Afrikaner Bond.
