Lynette Johns
Wilmot James favours Madiba-styled shirts, has a passion for beautifully crafted furniture and art and, importantly for him, has spent the past few days making calls to people who hold his political fate in their hands.
The finish line is in his sight – at the weekend James will know if his hard work has paid off, if he has managed to convince delegates that he is the man to take the DA forward, if he has the mettle to take over from Helen Zille.
He describes himself as a social democrat, a man who stands up for what he believes in and a man who is not afraid to take chances – like standing for the position of DA leader against Mmusi Maimane, widely seen as Zille’s annointed one.
The day Zille announced that she would not be standing for the position of DA leader was the day James knew he had to take the bull by the horns and announce his intention to run for the position.
His announcement led to an unprecedented move in South African politics – it took on an international feel as what would normally be internal jostling for party positions, was catapulted onto the news pages, TV, radio and internet.
The leadership race has been an intense one.
James has pumped almost R100 000 of his own money into the campaign, both contenders have spoken at length about their plans for the party, their views on contentious issues like the death penalty, fielding issues around a “sex scandal” and ultimately why each one is the right man for the job.
“I am out to win and I did establish a precedent – I called for public debate and transparency of campaign money,” he says.
The battle reaches its climax in Nelson Mandela Bay metro, where the DA is holding its elective conference at the weekend. James has worked incredibly hard over the past three weeks. “I am living out of my suitcase,” he says.
His wife, Delecia Forbes, has been keeping the family going. Their daughter Gabrielle is 22 and doing her Masters in philosophy at UCT, while their youngest child is 12-year-old Isabel.
Forbes runs the education project the Fynbos Foundation and has a keen interest in creative design and the arts sector. Forbes has been a staunch supporter.
“I would not have been able to be a politician if it had not been for Delecia being much more than someone backing me up.”
While James is a democrat, Forbes’ politics are left wing and she disagrees with the DA, but she sees James’ political life as a very important marker in his life. This is his opportunity to put his life’s work as a teacher and a democrat towards benefiting the country.
He says the future of South Africa is going to be in coalition politics. When he was executive director of the Institute for a Democratic South Africa (Idasa), he was adept at listening to all sides and this, he says, is what will be needed. A leader who can skilfully navigate the stormy seas of coalition politics.
James has flown across the country over the past few weeks, meeting voting delegates to convince them to vote for him, spelling out his vision for the party and why he is the right man for the job. Every day he has made about 50 calls and by tomorrow his goal is to have called 450 people. He flexes his right thumb, anticipating twinges of pain that come from constant dialling.
“I have spoken to about 270 people so far,” he says. But calls, public debates and meetings may not be enough to win the race.
He is confronted with the reality that charismatic preacher-turned-politician Maimane is seen as appealing to potential black voters.
I point out to him that even though the DA’s initial growth was largely in part thanks to the coloured Western Cape vote, the party is moving ahead – eyeing a mostly black voter base from across the country. Can a middle-aged coloured man take the party forward? But James says the colour of the leader does not necessarily mean that the votes will come from a particular grouping.
He does concede that the fight has been an uphill battle, but says he is increasingly confident.
He is getting support from delegates across the country but, he says, “even if I lose, I remain an MP and the DA health spokesperson”.
He smiles as he says: “My constituency is in Athlone and I am really enjoying that.”
James, a professor, has an air of dignity about him and his words are well thought through and measured.
After matriculating from Athlone High School, James graduated from the University of the Western Cape in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts.
He was then awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in the US and obtained his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1982.
In 1985 he did a post-doctoral fellowship at Yale University.
James taught sociology at UCT and was also the dean of humanities there.
His office, in the Marks building at Parliament, is a reflection of him – scholarly, comfortable and tasteful.
There is a thick rug on the floor, scores of books, a beautiful and rather large dark wooden desk and paintings adorn the walls.
One of his favourite artists is Capetonian Tyrone Appolis. He smiles as he says: “Tyrone often arrives at my home offering me paintings for sale, and I buy them.”
The wooden desk, which he salvaged from a storage room in Parliament, is a lawyer’s desk. It reminds him of his father, who was a woodwork teacher at the then Hewat Teacher Training College.
His life, by his own account, was not difficult, but he and his family were affected by apartheid.
His parents were teachers and they were forced out of two homes under the Group Areas Act, first from a house in Paarl, then from Black River (Rondebosch East).
Memories of his dad Peter are tinged with sadness. He remembers the indignity his father endured under apartheid.
One memory stands out. His father took his Volkswagen to the best mechanic in town. He was a customer, a teacher, well dressed and was offered tea in a chipped enamel mug, which he had to drink standing outside.
“My father left, he didn’t have his car fixed there, even though that man was the best Volkswagen mechanic around,” James says.