By Akani Nkuna
With just few weeks before the federal congress, DA national spokesperson and MP, Karabo Khakhau, has announced her withdrawal from the party’s Deputy Chairperson of Federal Council’s race after being denied the letter of good financial standing.
Her disqualification from the party’s leadership race comes after it was found that she owed just over R4,000 in party tithes.
Khakhau said in a statement to party members that she was no longer running for the position of deputy chair of the DA federal council.
“However, the DA Free State PEC took a decision to not grant me a letter of good financial standing and this decision was sustained by the DA’s FedEx. This is despite there being precedent of leaders whi found themselves in similar situations in previous congresses but were afforded the opportunity to battle it out fairly in the polls. Some successful incumbents,” she said in a statement on Saturday.
“As a result I am disqualified from rolling out my vision of building structures and winning the future.”
Khakhau admitted to missing a tithe payment in July 2025, however she compensated for it later on in October that year paying doube for both the months an amount equaling to R8500 after she was issued a letter by the party’s State Provincial Director demanding she settles her July tithe.
“I do not owe the DA a cent,” she reiterates, saying that it had been her long held dream to serve as the party’s first Deputy Chairperson for which she had hoped to instil her values of integrity, fairness, hard work and faith.
Khakhau accepted the nomination earlier on March, citing her ambitions to grow within the party with a focus to engaging women and young voters leading to vision 2029 of the party.
In her statement on Saturday, she noted that the standing for the race afforded her the ability to fight against the proposed abolishment of the party’s ancillary structures which she argues is the ticket to direct mobilisation within communities, including cultivating leadership ans sharpen ideas which ensure the party stands out.
“It was a fight for the reimagination of our politics as a party; the reshaping of our organisational culture. Most importantly, all I wanted to do was to help redesign how we organise ourself and mobilise the Republic fir success at the polls,” Khakhau added.
The DA is expected to hold its Federal Congress on 11 and 12 April 2026 in Midrand, Gauteng.
The elective congress will choose a new Federal Leader, Federal Chairperson, and deputy chairs, amid a fierce leadership contest after John Steenhuisen announced that he will not be standing for re-election.
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