Johannesburg mayor quits his party over race row

A BLACK leader in South Africa’s historically white Democratic Alliance (DA) opposition party has resigned as mayor of Johannesburg because of the party’s stance on racial inequality.

In 2016, Herman Mashaba became Johannesburg’s first mayor not from the ruling African National Congress (ANC) since apartheid ended in 1994.

His election was touted as a sign that the DA could challenge the ANC for power on a national level.

The 60-year-old millionaire was one of the most senior politicians in the pro-business DA, long considered a party for middle-class white people. But yesterday he quit the DA, which means he can no longer serve as mayor.

“I cannot reconcile myself with a group of people who believe that race is irrelevant in the discussion of inequality and poverty in South Africa,” Mr Mashaba told a press conference.

He said his decision was sparked by the election of former DA leader Helen Zille as the party’s federal council chairperson at the weekend.

The DA is engulfed in a power struggle between Mmusi Maimane, its leader, a Mashaba ally, and the old guard, represented by Ms Zille, who stoked controversy by arguing there were some positive aspects to colonialism.

“The election of Zille as the chairperson of the federal council represents a victory for people in the DA who stand diametrically opposed to my beliefs and value system,” Mr Mashaba said.

The DA has struggled to shed its image as a historically white party.

Mr Mashaba said his city government’s “pro-poor agenda” was at the heart of the dispute.

“Some members of the DA caucus in Johannesburg have suggested that we prioritise the needs of suburban residents above providing dignity to those forgotten people who remain without basic services 25 years after the end of apartheid,” he said.