DA black leaders want Leon to explain

PRESSURE is mounting on former DA leader Tony Leon from senior black leaders in the party to explain the comment he made that One South Africa movement leader Mmusi Maimane was “an experiment gone wrong”.

The leaders made the call as the party was split down the middle after News24 ran an interview with Leon on his book Future Tense: Reflections on my

Troubled Land and why Maimane was “an experiment gone wrong”, among others.

Yesterday, Western Cape leader Bongani Madikizela said Leon should explain himself.

“Tony Leon must explain what he means by ‘an experiment gone wrong’. Obviously, some of us are asking what that means,” Madikizela said.

Zwakele Mncwango, former KwaZulu-Natal leader, said he wanted to know the context in which Leon made the comment.

“If he meant the election of Mmusi or any black leader was an experiment, I would take it as an offence to all black leaders in the DA.

“It says we are not fit for purpose or lead,” Mncwango said.

He also said the issue of “an experiment gone wrong” undermined the DA’s processes of electing leaders and it insulted the intelligence of all delegates to congresses.

“It is an offensive statement to us. It now looks like all leaders who have been given a chance to lead in the DA were an experiment. He must clarify. Does he mean all of us as black leaders?” he said.

Maimane has described Leon’s characterisation of him as not only offensive but dehumanising.

“The project of dehumanising is certainly one that is historic. I was offended and found the comments offensive, but somehow not surprised because, like I said, this is something not unique in this instance.

“It is something that happens to many South Africans, whether you are in the corporate space,” Maimane told the SABC.

He said the issue of “an experiment gone wrong” said more about those who made those comments than those about whom the comments were made.

“I think, being the weekend of Easter, sometimes you have to say ‘forgive them for they know what they are doing’ because in some ways you realise the project that I was engaged with is still the one that is desperately needed in South Africa, the project of equality among races,” Maimane said.

Leon could not be reached by Independent Media yesterday, but told Newzroom Afrika that the quote attributed to him was a line in an interview with News24.

“Mmusi was an experiment gone wrong as Mmusi never committed to the party’s ideals before he joined it,” he said as he read the full line.

He insisted that Maimane never voted for the official opposition before joining it. “Of course it was an experiment, something different …”, he said.

If he meant the election of Mmusi or any black leader was an experiment, I would take it as an offence to all black leaders in the DA BONGANI MADIKIZELA DA leader Western Cape