Johannesburg - The DA looks set to throw off the shackles of tradition and fully embrace public campaigning for its internal leadership election after Wilmot James challenged his chief rival, Mmusi Maimane, to a public debate.
Speaking at the party’s KwaZulu-Natal provincial congress in Richards Bay on Saturday, James said the party needed open debate on public platforms, before throwing down the gauntlet to his rival.
“I am ready to debate anywhere and at any time and let members and delegates and voters decide who is ready to lead our party,” James said.
Responding on the sidelines of the congress Maimane said: “I don’t understand the logic behind his statement. We have been debating with him for four days. Why does he say he wants us to debate when are already debating?”
The party has in the past frowned on public campaigning for its leadership positions, but this began to change when Lindiwe Mazibuko challenged incumbent Athol Trollip for the position of parliamentary leader in 2011.
Trollip expressed surprise at her public approach at the time but even he has taken to social media this time round as he seeks a return to the national stage as the party’s federal chairman – the position currently held by James. Makashule Gana, another candidate for that position, has also been campaigning enthusiastically on social media.
The party has given candidates an opportunity to make their pitch at four meetings with voting delegates in a frenetic campaigning period, but they have limited speaking time – five minutes each for candidates for federal leader and four minutes for federal chair candidates – and the meetings are closed to the public and media.
This is followed by a question and answer session and two minutes for each candidate to conclude.
The meetings take place in Port Elizabeth today, Cape Town on Tuesday, Johannesburg on Thursday and Durban on Friday.
The Federal Congress, where the leadership will be decided, will be held at the Boardwalk Convention Centre in Nelson Mandela Bay on May 9 and 10. Delegates are ordinary members and public representatives from DA branches across the country and voting is done by secret ballot. Only James Selfe, the chairman of the federal council, is standing unopposed.
Relative unknowns Adrian Naidoo and Morgan Oliphant are the other candidates in the race for the top job, thrown open after Helen Zille’s surprise announcement two weeks ago that she would not stand for re-election.
Former MP and now member of the Western Cape provincial legislature Masizole Mnqasela is the other candidate for federal chairman.
Meanwhile, Sizwe Mchunu was ousted on Saturday as DA provincial leader in KwaZulu-Natal during the elective congress in Richards Bay.
He was beaten by just seven votes by eThekwini councillor and caucus leader Zwakele Mncwango.
Despite the heat and some robust voting, there were no serious altercations, with most of the party faithful enjoying the camaraderie of friends and colleagues, taking selfies and sporting some natty headgear – everything from jaunty Panama hats to French berets.
Still coming to terms with his victory, Mncwango said: “There is no individual who can claim victory, the DA has won. My plan is to unite the party.”
Mncwango said his mission was to transform the DA in rural areas. “We will be talking with traditional leaders in deep rural areas so as to build support for the DA ahead of 2016 local government elections.”
The DA is the official opposition in KwaZulu-Natal and has a shot at capturing several metros around the country in next year’s local government elections.
Mchunu, who has been provincial leader since 2011, said he accepted the defeat with no reservations. “I’m happy for him (Mncwango). This shows that the DA is a democratic party. I wish him everything of the best.”
Mchunu initially hinted at some discrepancies leading up to the congress but then retracted the statement. “Maybe let me just congratulation Mncwango. I’m happy for him and I throw my full support behind him,” he said.
The congress was attended by the national leadership of the party including the outgoing federal chairman, James.
James and the leader of the DA in Parliament, Maimane, are both contesting the position of party leader after Helen Zille opted not to stand for another term.
The national congress takes place in less than two weeks’ time.
Wilmot told the KZN delegates he was the most suitable candidate to succeed Zille. Maimane was full of praise for Zille. He said she would leavea vacuum but he was ready to lead the party. “I’m ready to take the party forward and continue where Helen left off,” he said.
Tex Collins, Dianne Kohler Barnard and Shehana Gaibie were elected to the position of deputy provincial chairperson.
Meanwhile, Mmusi Maimane told Independent Newspapers he was not intimidated by Julius Malema in Parliament.
“Not at all,” he said during a brief break in proceedings. “What he says doesn’t affect me or the DA. He is not taking his party into the future. It is all about now.”
He was responding to EFF leader Malema’s recent assertion that the “new DA man” was a “good priest, but not a politician”.
Maimaine said he was far more worried about President Jacob Zuma. “He is leading us down a dangerous path. We must all be aware of it. We cannot afford to take our eye off the ball, not for a day, not for a minute.
“Zuma knows that once he relinquishes power he has many issues to face. So he will hang on at whatever cost – even if it is bad for the country.”
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal said it was ready for the breakthrough that would end the ANC’s rule in the province. Leaders of the party committed themselves to stopping what they claimed was the “paralysis” brought on by weak leadership in the province.
Mchunu said the ANC was hanging on to power in any way it could and that it had broken its promises to the people over key issues like job creation, service delivery and education.
Mchunu said that “rooted” loyalty to Jacob Zuma was at the heart of the problem.
This continued despite the abuse of government resources.
“But from what we hear on the ground, there is a despair and yearning for change.”
He said that 42 percent of people in KZN were living below the poverty line and that job opportunities were very scarce.
“It is only a select few that are being enriched. It is now time for a credible party to protect democracy. It’s time to leap.”
In a congress buzzing with chatter, clapping and song, the scene for deliberation was set with the showing of an evocative film, highlighting the beauty spots of the province with the grim, warning words that “behind its glory lie deep, dark secrets”.
KZN, the narration continued “is a province ripped apart by drug wars, violent protests, horrific road accidents, home invasions, out-of-control crime, (lack of) service delivery, load shedding and xenophobia.”
It was everything one would expect an opposition party to focus on. – Additional reporting by Liz Clarke
Political Bureau