DA committee wants party leaders’ term upped to five years

The DA’s constitutional review committee is recommending that the party’s elected leadership serve a five-year term, up from the current three years.

This is likely to spark heated debate when the country’s main opposition convenes for its federal congress in April. DA leader Mmusi Maimane will be elected for another term unopposed.

Some within the party have vehemently opposed the proposal to extend the term of elected leaders, saying it will centralise power and “mean less democracy”. According to a document containing some of the proposals of the committee, which Business Day has seen, the federal congress meets two years before the national and provincial elections (at least once every three years). The document said the effect of the amendment will be that, subject to certain checks and balances, federal congress will be held only once every five years.

“It now costs a huge amount of money to hold a one-and-ahalf-day meeting, and while the renewal of mandates is critical, it is doubtful whether this justifies the expense. The checks and balances are that federal executive and/or federal council may decide, by the requisite majorities, to convene a congress, or 5,000 members can sign a petition to request one.

“Provision is also made for additional policy conferences to be held,” the document read.

One MP who spoke on condition of anonymity said the proposal was problematic and seemed to be designed to extend Maimane’s tenure at the helm of the party. “I would suggest that it’s a bizarre proposal … they clearly want to centralise power,” said the MP.

Another DA MP, Gavin Davis, said: “It is not clear at this stage how much support there is for extending the leadership term. All views must be aired and considered at congress, and I look forward to that engagement. Instinctively, however, I am sure most delegates will be against any proposal that centralises power. We need more democracy, not less.”

DA federal executive chairman James Selfe said the proposal was justifiable and on balance he supported it.

“The federal congress has become an elaborate event and it costs more and more. We have more and more delegates and we end up spending a lot of money speaking to ourselves. While it is important to engage in the renewal of mandates, one should not be spending a lot.”

Selfe said the proposals had a lot of checks and balances.