‘Maimane will lead DA until at least 2021’
Party rallies behind leader despite poor performance at the polls
THE DA yesterday closed ranks and rallied behind its leader, Mmusi Maimane, following the official opposition’s poor showing at the polls, both provincially and nationally.
Yesterday the party’s federal executive in Gauteng threw its weight behind Maimane, saying he would remain in office until the end of his term in 2021.
DA federal chairman Athol Trollip told the media that Maimane was not going anywhere.
“That burden does not sit on the shoulders of an individual,” Trollip said.
He added that Maimane would remain the DA leader until a federal congress scheduled for 2021.
“Any talk of a change of a leadership before a federal congress must be dispelled,” he said. “As the leadership of the party, at both a national and provincial level, we are unambiguous in our support for Mr Maimane, who has led the DA with distinction since the 2015 Nelson Mandela Bay Federal Congress, and his unopposed election last year.”
Trollip added that they faced internal challenges and significant changes in the political landscape, including the rise of nationalism on both the left and the right.
“In short, both internally and externally there were matters we had to grapple with. We will be the first to state that these factors had a role to play in our electoral fortunes,” Trollip said. “As the DA we are holding the moderate, non-racial centre ground; an important position in the rise of populism.”
The party lost some votes to Good and the Freedom Front Plus, and lost being the official opposition in KwaZuluNatal.
Its majority was reduced in the Western Cape, down to 55.45%.
Trollip said they would work to regain voter support.
“We are not blind to support in some areas, nor are we deaf to the voices of those who chose to support another party in this election.
“Where the losses occurred, we will work on regaining the trust of the people as we head into the 2021 local government elections. This starts with two by-elections taking place in Nelson Mandela Bay as early as Wednesday (tomorrow); this will be the start of winning back the bay.”
He also announced that there would be a review of the organisation’s structures, and how they could best operate as a party that ran local governments that served about 15 million people, and the way they campaigned.
“This review will be in consultation with all stakeholders of the party,” Trollip said.
He added that the review was something that happened from time to time. The party last held a review in 2005 while under the leadership of Tony Leon, Trollip said.
He added that they would start a listening campaign.
“We will listen to members. We can talk about our internal challenges.”
Speaking on the party’s organisational review, federal executive chairperson James Selfe said they had ways to select candidates and to evaluate public representatives.
“We want to see whether those systems are appropriate to serve a different constituency to the one we had in 2004,” Selfe said.