Fedex vote has consequences

The election of whoever is chosen as chairperson of the Democratic Alliance’s federal executive (fedex) could have far-reaching consequences — beyond filling the position left vacant by the resignation of James Selfe.

DA delegates to its federal council will on Sunday decide who will be the party’s next fedex chairperson. That job is essentially the second-in-command of the DA and is in charge of discipline, party structures and new members.

The election of the chairperson is seen by many as a proxy battle for the soul of the party.

DA members say the election will determine the future of the party. Some have said that they will decide on the future of their memberships based on its outcome.

Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba told 702 radio this week he would consider leaving the party, depending on who won.

“If the DA is taken over by the Institute of Race Relations, I would not want to be associated with such an organisation,” he told the radio station.

This is seen as a broad swipe against candidates such as Helen Zille and Mike Waters.

Mashaba’s leadership of Johannesburg — which the DA governs thanks to a deal with the Economic Freedom Fighters — has been criticised by sections of his own party, with claims that the relationship has cost the DA votes across the country.

But, if Mashaba goes, the agreement between the EFF and other parties would surely crumble. The EFF is seen as more supportive of the business tycoon-turned politician than his political party.

The country’s biggest city would then be left with a hung council, or the ANC taking over if it gets help from the Inkatha Freedom Party. It would mean the DA losing another metro, after it had to hand over power in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro when opposition parties voted out Athol Trollip as mayor, and installed the United Democratic Movement’s Mongameli Bobani.

In 2016 the DA became the largest party in the Nelson Mandela Bay and Tshwane metros, adding to its already stable support base in Cape Town.

But this is 2019. — Lester Kiewit