Madikizela tipped for DA provincial leader
Newly-elected DA chair Twigg backs him for provincial position
IT SEEMS Bonginkosi Madikizela will have his cake and eat it in his quest to become the next DA provincial leader. A key ally was elected at the weekend as DA Metro leader which could seal the deal for him. Newly elected DA Metro chairperson Grant Twigg has already indicated that he supports Madikizela for DA provincial leader and this could see Madikizela become the first Africanpremier of the Western Cape.
But before Madikizela tastes the sweetness of victory, there is still the issue of the birthday cake saga to overcome. He is facing a parliamentary inquiry for failing to declare a R3 000 birthday cake bought for him by a friend who does business with the human settlements department he leads.
“My stance is very clear. I am supporting Bonginkosi , but the branches will of course canvass and vote for who they want,” Twigg said after being elected.
Nothing, however, is final as the DA’s outlying regions are seemingly showing more support for DA MPL Lennit Max who is going head-to-head against Madikizela at the conference.
At the past weekend conference, 307 delegates of the Metro region voted in the congress, and although not confirmed, it is believed Shaun August lost by as few as 13 votes.
Loud cheers erupted when Twigg’s name was announced as the winner while August’s supporters showed little reaction to the announcement.
August, who is seen as a close ally of Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille, is rumoured to be supporting Max. Twigg said he is not too worried about next month’s conference, but is more focused on becoming a listening ear to DA branches. “We will be making changes to how we look at things. The branches will come to us and we will listen to them. We will engage all structures in the region,” he said. It is no secret that Twigg and De Lille were at times at loggerheads, but he says that is nothing to worry about. “We are all DA here. There is no difference between now and then. We had our differences, but that does not mean we won’t be working together. When we have opinions, we share it, and of course we have differences on that, but we are all DA members and we respect each other’s positions,” he said.
He also allayed fears of a reshuffle in the mayoral executive. “The mayor will remain the mayor. I am here for the DA and my new position is connected to the DA , not only the executive administration. The chief whip who is Shaun will remain and so also will everyone else,” he said.
The new Metro region executives are as follows: deputy chairperson is JP Smith; second and third deputy chairpeople are Anda Ntsodo and Phindile Maxiti respectively; finance chairperson is Ian Iverson; and regional secretary is Desiree Visagie.
The four additional members are Malusi Booi, Matthew Kempthorne, Rob Quintas and Elizabeth Cloete. Lidia Rauch, Dion George and Tony van Minnen will serve as regional representatives on the DA’s national federal executive.
Madikizela said of the Metro elections: “I also endorsed Grant (Twigg). I made it public that he is the right man to lead us. We have put together a good team to take us forward. I welcomed the support, which shows that he is a good man and I am confident that we will work together very well.”
Max, on the other hand, said he was not at all worried about Twigg’s win. “One needs to remember you need votes and support of all three regions in the Western Cape. There was also a small margin between Shaun and Grant. The Metro has its own dynamics so no candidate can claim on the basis a victory already. Nothing changes from my side. I am confident.”