Van Damme dumps DA

Spokeswoman seen as the party darling

The DA’s rising star‚ Phumzile van Damme‚ has surprisingly quit her job as the party’s national spokeswoman.

Van Damme reportedly told DA top brass of her decision two weeks ago‚ but the party has kept this under wraps due to the factional battle within the City of Cape Town where the party is trying to remove Patricia de Lille as mayor.

She is the second high-profile member to quit a public post this month after former DA youth leader Mbali Ntuli quit her job as a member of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature to take up a position as the party’s provincial head of campaign strategy.

DA insiders with knowledge of Van Damme’s resignation said she took the decision because she didn’t get enough support in her office as a national spokeswoman.

Health reasons were also cited‚ a party insider said.

One of the things Van Damme was reportedly upset with – and which she voiced to party leadership – was the party’s decision not to support the ANC-sponsored motion of no confidence in De Lille‚ choosing instead to bring its own.

“It is hypocritical. We say the same thing about the ANC in parliament‚ about voting with a conscience‚” said the insider.

Van Damme confirmed her resignation to TimesLIVE‚ but did not want to give reasons.

“The reasons I have provided I discussed with the party leadership‚ some of which are private‚” said Van Damme.

A DA insider familiar with the party’s communications structures said it was very disappointing that Van Damme resigned because she was being treated as a darling of the party ahead of the other spokeswoman Refiloe Ntsekhe.

She was assigned the highprofile issues‚ said the insider. –