Johnathan Paoli and Lerato Mbhiza
Incumbent leaders Solly Msimanga and Fred Nel have won their respective positions as Provincial Leader and Provincial Chairperson at the DA Gauteng Congress held in Boksburg on Saturday.
Presiding Officer Priscilla Isaacs said the voting for the contested positions took place using the online OpaVote system.
“This system ensures that voting can be done in a speedy, but reliable manner. These results are consequently the product of an election that was compliant with all of the DA election rules and requirements.
As presiding officers, we can therefore say that today’s election was free and fair,” she said.
The party declared Gauteng as the battleground province going into the 2024 National General Elections.
“We would also like to thank the nearly 800 delegates who made their way to Congress, not only were your voices heard, but you chartered the course the party will take. This is what democracy looks like,” she added.
Msimanga was previously the DA Gauteng spokesperson for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation in the Provincial Legislature and served on the Education and Economic Development portfolio committees from 2014 until the municipal elections in August 2016 when he was elected, unopposed, as Tshwane Mayor.
He has been a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature since February 2019, having previously served from 2014 to 2016. Msimanga was the Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality from 2016 to 2019 and the DA Provincial Chairperson from 2014 to 2017. He was the DA’s Gauteng Premier candidate for the 2019 elections.
Msimanga’s political career has been marred by allegations of scandals including one where a video showing him bloodied after being involved in a brawl in Benoni surfaces.
Despite these allegations, both Msimanga and the DA have vehemently denied these rumours calling them baseless.
Nel started his political career in 1988 on the University of Pretoria campus and was elected the Democratic Party’s National Youth Leader in 1992. He was elected as a DP councilor in the Greater Pretoria Metropolitan Council in 1998.
In 2000, Nel was elected to the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality council as a member of the Democratic Alliance. He was appointed caucus chief whip.
Nel became caucus leader in 2003. In 2009, he was elected to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.
After his re-election in 2014, Nel was appointed Shadow MEC for Local Government and Human Settlements by DA caucus leader John Moodey. In 2016, he was appointed Shadow MEC for Roads and Transport.
He was re-elected to another term in 2019. Newly elected DA caucus leader Solly Msimanga announced that Nel would remain in his post. He is currently a member of the Roads & Transport Committee and the DA’s constituency contact in Mamelodi West.
In 2020, Nel announced his candidacy to succeed Michael Moriarty as provincial chairperson of the DA. He went up against the DA’s chairperson in Ekurhuleni, Selby Thekiso. He won the election on 14 November 2020 with 67% of the vote. Bongani Nkomo was elected his deputy.
In addition, Nel was elected Alternate Member at Programming Committee (Feb 2022), Member at Rules Committee (Feb 2022), Member at Roads and Transport (Feb 2022) and Alternate Member at Human Settlements Portfolio Committee.
Pogiso Mthumunye was elected deputy Provincial Chairperson.
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