Cape Town - DA’s parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane’s candidacy to succeed Helen Zille as the party’s leader was welcomed by DA chief whip John Steenhuisen and Eastern Cape leader Athol Trollip, both key players in the party.
“Obviously I am delighted that Mmusi Maimane is going to run and put the DA on the path to power and lead the march to the Union Buildings,” Steenhuisen told ANA.
Trollip, who is standing to succeed Wilmot James as federal chairman of the DA at its national congress, echoed the sentiment, saying Maimane was well-suited for the post and had performed “brilliantly” as parliamentary leader.
“He is probably slightly too young but under the circumstances and within the context of what happened in the past week I think this is just how events played out. I think Tony Leon was 36 when he became the leader of the Democratic Party,” he said.
Trollip said he believed it was vital to have experienced party officials in other top posts and if he became federal chairman, Maimane could count on his full support, adding: “But I have to get elected first.”
Commentators have tipped Maimane as the clear favourite to succeed Zille, though he only entered formal politics four years ago.
He announced his candidacy two days before the deadline for nominations, and wrote in his letter to colleagues that it was not a decision taken lightly.
“It has not been an easy decision. I have thought long and hard about what it means for my young family. And I have had to consider whether the timing is right.
“In the end, I decided to accept this nomination because it is a unique opportunity to restore hope in our nation’s future.”
Sources said James, an academic who became an MP for the DA in 2009, had assembled a campaign team and a formal announcement that he was throwing his hat in the ring would follow.
The DA is due to announce the names of all candidates on Monday after extending the deadline by four days following Zille’s sudden decision a week ago not to seek re-election. The move caught many in the party by surprise and has sparked speculation that she was pushed to quit.
Zille has led the DA for eight years. Maimane lauded Zille, who was at the DA’s provincial congress in the Free State on Saturday, as an example to all politicians and said he had phoned her in the morning to inform her of his decision.
“I certainly wanted to pay tribute to her but she has very little to do with my candidacy, or certainly how we are going to take it forward,” he added.
Maimane said the DA would work to undo the wrongs of apartheid without being mired in the past.
“Many people are contesting for a better yesterday. That’s why when the president (Zuma) speaks he wants to remind us of Jan van Riebeeck..
“History in South Africa is important. It’s because so many still feel the effects of apartheid that we face the challenges that we do, but what cannot be underscored is that we must contest for the future of South Africa.”
If he wins, Maimane will be the first black leader of the party and will inherit the challenge of growing its support base in African communities. He said Zille’s legacy included creating a non-racist party and he would build on that.
“Our country’s future depends on the success of the Democatic Alliance. Now, more than ever, South Africa needs a strong non-racial party committed to protecting our constitution and eradicating the legacy of apartheid.”
ANA