Cape Town - DA leadership structures could be shaken up at the upcoming federal congress as the key position of chairman is up for grabs after incumbent Wilmot James confirmed that he would not stand again – although DA leader Helen Zille is set to remain put.
With nominations closing only on April 20, a series of behind-closed-doors discussions and lobbying is set to unfold over the next four weeks over who would be the best candidate for chairman. It’s the significant position of party policy boss, who is also responsible for implementation of programmes and, to a large measure, operations.
It remains to be seen whether DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane will throw his hat into the ring. Maimane confirmed this week that he would not stand again for deputy federal chairman, one of three such positions.
He said he “loves” his parliamentary role and would not leave it unless the party thought it would be in its best interests. “I love what I’m doing here (in Parliament). I have not made a decision,” he said.
“The consideration could only be informed by broad consultations across provinces. I’m fulfilling a crucial role in Parliament. Let the party make a decision about it.”
Should Maimane be persuaded to contest the position, and be successful, it would create a vacancy in Parliament and trigger another round of lobbying and contestation for the opposition leader’s post.
The outgoing James said this week he had served his term. “The chairman has to be a cohesive force in the party. I think it’s somebody else’s turn,” said James, adding he would focus on his health parliamentary portfolio and his Athlone, Cape Town, constituency.
Other touted candidates include:
* Eastern Cape DA leader Athol Trollip, who has been seeking a return to national structures after he was ousted from Parliament after losing the contest for parliamentary leader to Lindiwe Mazibuko in 2011;
* DA deputy federal chairman Makashule Gana, the quietly-spoken youth politician said to be a key mover and shaker of the party’s black caucus;
* Western Cape MPL Masizole Mnqasela, who fell out of favour with his abrasive style. In the 2011 parliamentary contest he accused Zille of running the party like a spaza shop and said Mazibuko was unable to lead. Mnqasela failed in his 2012 election bid;
* Western Cape leader Ivan Meyer who is said to have been persuaded he has a chance, after withdrawing from the provincial leadership contest when Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille announced her candidacy.
Gana confirmed he had been approached, but had not yet considered the position.
Trollip said “I am considering it” after being approached by a number of people, but added that he has yet to make up his mind.
Mnqasela said he was ready to stand: “It’s an opportunity to reflect on the road we travelled and to look at the trajectory going forward.”
Suggestions in some DA circles are that it could be important for the new chair to be from Gauteng – the province that raises most funds – to balance the dominance of the Western Cape.
While the DA has quietly held a series of provincial congresses in recent months, all eyes are on next month’s congress in the Western Cape. It’s a potential former Independent Democrats (ID) grudge match between De Lille and MPL Lennit Max. The two fell out a decade ago after then ID leader De Lille brought disciplinary proceedings against Max, also a former Western Cape police commissioner, over claims linking her to an alleged Cape Flats gangster.
In 2005, Max left the ID for the DA. Five years later De Lille spearheaded the ID’s merger with the DA.
One argument is that De Lille wants to strengthen her hand in the DA by clinching the provincial leader position, while still heading Cape Town, key to the DA’s political messaging that where it governs, it governs best. Another is that De Lille is seen as more acceptable, given her grassroots appeal, than Max, who has been embroiled in various sexual harassment sagas.
With Human Settlements MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela as her deputy, and his fellow MEC Anton Bredell for another term as chairman, De Lille’s success would nix Theuns Botha’s efforts to remain in the provincial leadership structures. In what was interpreted as an internal fallout, Zille on New Year’s Eve moved Botha from the health to arts and culture portfolio.
With a month to go before the Western Cape DA congress on April 18, reports suggest that there is no clear front runner in a contest that could yet hold some twists and turns. When the 1 425 DA delegates attend the two-day federal congress from May 9, all but the North West would have held their provincial elective meetings.
All indications are that Zille will remain as national leader despite impatience in some circles, particularly over her Twitter outbursts. But the way other leadership positions are filled is regarded by some as crucial for laying the basis of leadership succession in three years’ time.
As one insider described it: “This congress is an interim one. The focus will all be on 2018.”
Political Bureau