Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) Mmusi Maimane has announced that he is stepping down.<\/p>\n
In a heavily delayed press briefing on Wednesday (23 October), Maimane said that he made the decision after a “sober and honest assessment”.<\/p>\n
He said he will continue to lead the DA’s parliamentary caucus, if the party so chooses, until the end of the year – but encouraged it to elect new leadership soon after.<\/p>\n
In his briefing, he addressed his strategy as leader of the party, and how his goal was to cement diversity as a core value in the DA and to build support to challenge the ANC.<\/p>\n
“I truly believed that for the DA to become a party in government, it needed to look, and feel and operate as a party for all citizens,” he said. But he admitted that the DA had a problem gaining the trust of the larger black South African population, being seen as a party for minorities.<\/p>\n
In this, under his leadership, the party shifted focus to grassroots activism and enjoyed successes in uniting South Africans under the DA banner and shifting power in many of the country’s largest metros.<\/p>\n
He stressed that the aim of this focus was not to alienate white South Africans, but rather to promote diversity within the party and the country.<\/p>\n
“In the last few months, it has become clear that there are those within the DA that do not see eye to eye with me, or share this vision for the party or the direction it was taking,” he said.<\/p>\n
‘There have been coordinated attacks on me and my leadership, in a bid to ensure this project failed, or I failed.”<\/p>\n
“At the end of the day, the DA has always been a vehicle to carry this vision. And I am still committed to that vision,” he said. “But in the end, despite my best efforts, I have concluded that perhaps the DA is not the best vehicle for me to continue pursuing this vision.”<\/p>\n
The party’s federal executive met earlier on Wednesday to discuss the resignation of Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba<\/a><\/strong>, when Maimane reportedly made his decision known.<\/p>\n The press briefing was delayed by several hours as intense negotiations continued between Maimane and senior leaders.<\/p>\n According to reports, the remaining leaders were looking to avoid a mass exodus from the party, having received intent to resign from other members.<\/p>\n Mashaba first to go<\/strong><\/p>\n Maimane spurred controversy among DA supporters and political analysts by being present and following up a statement from Mashaba this week when he announced his resignation from the party.<\/p>\n Mashaba lambasted the DA in his address, saying that the party was no longer the organisation he had signed up for, and had handed control back to “right-wing elements” that stood opposed to his personal beliefs.<\/p>\n Specifically, Mashaba said that by electing Helen Zille as the party’s federal chairperson at the weekend, the party had handed victory those elements, and had left no doubt in his mind that the DA would go on to scupper its coalition arrangements with other parties.<\/p>\n “The election of Helen Zille as federal chair is a victory for those within the DA who stand opposed to the principles I stand for. I cannot reconcile myself with people who see race as irrelevant in the discussion of inequality and poverty in South Africa in 2019,” he said.<\/p>\n Maimane, who spoke after Mashaba’s address, ensured that the DA was still committed to its coalitions, but did not address any of the other criticisms levelled against the party by Mashaba, instead calling the businessman his “friend and hero”.<\/p>\n Leaders within the DA questioned Maimane’s presence at the briefing, saying that a separate briefing, responding as the DA, would have been more appropriate.<\/p>\n Zille’s return<\/strong><\/p>\n Zille\u2019s return to the higher ranks of the DA<\/a><\/strong> follows many years of controversy \u2013 particularly over her social media posts \u2013 and conflict with senior party leaders, including Mmusi Maimane.<\/p>\n She said that she was asked by senior leaders within the party to run for the position of federal chair, adding that she recognised the DA was under strain and needed stability.<\/p>\n