Riyaz Patel
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane has resigned his leadership position from the party.
“Despite my best efforts the DA is not the best vehicle to unite South Africa. I will step down as leader,” Maimane said.
“It is with great sadness that in order to continue the fight for this vision I so strongly believe in, and the country I so dearly love, I today tender my resignation as leader of the Democratic Alliance.”
DA Chairman Athol Trollip also announced his resignation from the party.
‘‘There’s a time to come and a time to go in politics” said Trollip, adding that he realised it was his ”time to go” this past weekend, when Helen Zille was elected DA Federal Executive Chairperson.
Their resignations comes a day after Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba announced his resignation from the DA.
The dramatic moves come in the immediate aftermath of former party leader Zille’s election as the DA Federal Executive Chairperson over the past weekend.
Earlier the party’s DA’s Federal Executive convened for an urgent sitting.
“There are those in the DA who do not see eye to eye with me in the DA…an attempt to undermine my name and my integrity, this cowardly behaviour has put my wife and my kids in danger.”
Maimane announced his resignation from a podium which had the DA branding veiled by a black cloth, an ominous sign perhaps, of the current mood within the party.
Maimane also called a press conference in Johannesburg, which was due to be held at 13:00.
A subsequent media alert, sent two hours later, pushed the scheduled briefing back by two hours to 15:00. The time was again pushed back further, indicating intense back-room discussions amongst the party’s leadership.
Maimane ascended to the position of federal leader in May 2015, when he defeated Wilmot James at the party’s congress in Port Elizabeth.
He made history when he became the first black leader of the party as well as the youngest, when he succeeded Zille.
One of his most vocal supporters at the time was Mashaba, who Maimane described as a “hero” when the City of Johannesburg mayor announced his resignation from the party on Monday.
