DA Western Cape leader candidates reserved on premier ambitions

THE DA Western Cape interim leader, Bonginkosi Madikizela, has no ambitions to take over from Helen Zille as the next premier.

Even his key opponent‚ Lennit Max‚ was cagey when asked if he saw himself as the next Zille should he win next week’s provincial conference.

The two will go head to head for the position of provincial leader on October 7 in one of the most highly anticipated provincial contests the province has seen.

Since Zille will not be eligible for the post after the 2019 elections‚ whoever is provincial leader holds an advantage to take the position.

Yesterday, Madikizela‚ who currently serves as Human Settlements MEC‚ said that although things might change, he was not eyeing the post now. “That’s not my ambition as an individual.

“I need to focus on areas where I need to make maximum impact and really deal with the issues of service delivery.

“I think that there are other people who could do a better job as a premier,” Madikizela said .

Max did not completely rule out the idea of being the next premier, saying he would need to be judged by his work to see if he was capable of becoming the next premier.

“This is not the reason why I made myself available on request [as provincial leader]. The reason is to serve the people‚ that is my priority‚” Max said.

This is the first time since 2009 that a provincial leader in the Western Cape could be a serious contender for the position of premier.