Johannesburg - The Democratic Alliance's upcoming policy conference and subsequent congress will provide an opportunity for the DA to "resolve and reset", and to achieve real unity and common purpose, party leader John Steenhuisen said on Sunday.
In a statement issued after the DA's two-day federal council meeting in Johannesburg - its last sitting ahead of the party’s policy conference on April 4 and 5 - Steenhuisen said that after this process the DA would emerge united and stronger.
"We have built good momentum recently and need to keep building on this momentum by focusing on what matters for the people of South Africa," he said.
The federal council was pleased that preparations for the policy conference were proceeding smoothly in line with the deadlines the party had agreed on. The DA had publicly released the draft values and principles document and In the next few weeks the policy unit would continue to engage with various provincial councils as part on the ongoing internal consultation process.
On Friday, February 28, the party would release the framework for the economic justice policy as part of its commitment to get as much extensive input as practically possible.
The council was also satisfied with progress made in relation to preparations for the federal congress on May 30 and 31 in Johannesburg. Nominations for leadership positions were officially opened on February 16 and the deadline was 4pm on May 9.
"Federal council resolved to obtain a legal opinion to clarify the composition of the delegates to ensure that there is absolutely no confusion about who qualifies as a delegate in good standing," Steenhuisen said.
The council had also noted the "misleading reports" about the state of the DA's human resources.
"Contrary to the lies in the reports, the party has initiated an organisational restructuring process – in line with the previous federal council resolution on the recommendation by the review panel report – to align our staff composition with our political objective between now and the next national elections. This is no extraordinary development, as it has been the norm following every national election in the past," he said.
With regards to the vacancy of the CEO, the DA was satisfied with the process to finalise the conclusion of the appointment of the CEO by April 1.
Steenhuisen said President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent state of the nation address had laid bare that the African National Congress was never going to fix South Africa; as such, the DA was South Africa's only hope. Federal council had unanimously agreed on, among other things, building a new majority.
"We need to 'reach across the aisle' wherever possible to build relationships of trust with those who share our values. Populists that would destroy SA are not just to be found in one party – they are spread across parties. The reformists are also not just in one party. The DA will now lead the charge to unite the reformists ushering in a path towards prosperity and build a new majority," Steenhuisen said.