Durban - If the new leader of the DA in KwaZulu-Natal, Zwakele Mncwango, backs federal chairman Wilmot James, this could be a major factor in James’s battle with parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane to decide who becomes the national leader of the party.
Although Mncwango said his team was yet to meet and decide who to endorse as the candidate for the national leader, party insiders have told The Mercury that they would be backing James to replace Helen Zille as party leader.
James was announced as an official candidate to contest the national leadership this weekend at the provincial congress in Richards Bay, where eThekwini Municipality caucus leader Mncwango emerged as the new provincial leader.
Mncwango won a showdown against incumbent Sizwe Mchunu by seven votes, a development that could have significant implications for the national leadership battle.
A senior party leader said Mncwango’s victory was a setback to Maimane’s hopes of becoming leader as he was known to have backed Mchunu to retain his provincial position. “It is clear that the race for the national leadership in the DA is no longer clear-cut.”
James has challenged Maimane to a public debate to prove which of them is fit to take over from Helen Zille as party leader. He accused Zille and Maimane of neglecting the poor, and called for “a change of direction” for the party in order to fight poverty.
James and Maimane were among hundreds of party members in Richards Bay on Saturday for the party’s provincial congress.
The national conference in which Maimane and James are expected to battle it out for the top position will take place in Port Elizabeth on May 9.
“Here today I wish to challenge Mmusi Maimane to a public debate about the future of our party and the future of our country,” said James.
During his address, James repeatedly emphasised that the party needed a new direction. He later told The Mercury that the party lacked passion and compassion for the poor.
“The DA says we are working for change and working for jobs. But the truth is we do this only sometimes. We do it now and then
,” he said. “We are not speaking for people who are without education. We are not speaking for the poor.”
When he was later asked why he chose the provincial conference to launch his campaign, he said: “Candidates were made known publicly last night… So the campaign has begun.
“The DA must change its focus on the interest of the voters. When Mmusi started as parliamentary leader, he said he wanted to speak on jobs. But we do not hear a word,” he said.
He said the party needed good ideas, because the current ones had failed to convince poor people that the DA would improve their lives.
Maimane avoided attacking James. Instead, he insisted that job creation remained the cornerstone of his mission, but said this could not be achieved while the ANC was still in power and ensuring a non-racial economy. “There is a lot that we cannot fix under the ANC, which is why they must be voted out,” he said.
It is believed that James enjoys the support of radicals, who are mostly young, such as Mncwango and former youth leader Mbali Ntuli, who are known to have fallen out of favour with Zille.
On the other hand, other party members say Zille announced her departure as party leader only when she was sure Maimane was well prepared to take over from her.
Mncwango said Mchunu would keep his position as leader of the opposition party in the legislature. “I made it clear that I will remain with eThekwini, but now and again I will go to the legislature to attend caucus meetings,” he said.
Party provincial chairman Haniff Hoosen retained his position while Tex Collins, Dianne Kohler Barnard and Shehana Gaibie were elected to be deputy chairpersons.
The Mercury