PHUMZILE Van Damme has resigned as a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Member of Parliament, the latest high-profile black leader to leave the official opposition party in recent months.
Van Damme served as a member of parliament for at least seven years and was also the spokesperson of the party from 2014 to 2018.
She said in a statement on Thursday that she left the party due to a clique of individuals rather than a “racist party.”
“I leave on my own terms, having made my own decision,” said Van Damme.
“Nonetheless, in a climate of rumours and the need to create heroes and villains, my resignation as an MP is not because the DA is a so-called ‘racist party’ but because of a clique of individuals – and in order not to make the good women and men still in the DA suffer, I will not delve further into this.”
She said will not be joining another political party, nor will she be using her time to launch attacks on the DA.
The DA said in a statement that the party has received and accepted the resignation of Van Damme as a Member of Parliament and from the Party.
“We extend our best wishes to Phumzile and thank her for her extraordinary service to the DA in Parliament and by extension, the country,” said DA’s national spokesperson Siviwe Gwarube.
“The DA has received and accepted the resignation of Phumzile Van Damme as a Member of Parliament and from the Party. We extend our best wishes to Phumzile and thank her for her extraordinary service to the DA in Parliament and by extension, the country.”
In recent years, several other high-profile black leaders such Mmusi Maimane, Patricia de Lille, Lindiwe Mazibuko and Herman Mashaba left the DA, citing racism and ideological differences as their reasons for quitting.
Last year, the DA’s Gauteng Leader, John Moodey, also quit the party, the DA has become irrelevant.
“I believe that the party has become irrelevant. We have gone through a bad patch in 2019. I believe that it was more internal causes than external. There were tensions between black and white. There were tensions between the right to centre liberals against us. It wasn’t managed properly, and Mmusi had to go,” said Moodey.
- Inside Politics
