Durban - The outgoing DA caucus leader in the eThekwini Municipality, Nicole Graham, has rebuffed the notion that her resignation was influenced by a fallout with the party’s top brass as she planned to start a new life overseas.
Graham shocked many when she announced her resignation as the DA’s caucus leader earlier this week to further her studies in Australia.
She had established herself as a promising future leader of the party, having been elected as a proportional representative (PR) councillor at the age of 21.
She was vocal on various critical issues in the council as leader of the official opposition party and serving in the executive council, demanding accountability.
The DA, over the years, experienced an exodus of prominent leaders, such as Lindiwe Mazibuko, Mmusi Maimane, Herman Mashaba, Athol Trollip and Mbali Ntuli, who said the party was no longer the same. Some cited “toxicity” within the party’s federal council that prompted their exit.
But Graham rejected the claims in her case and declared “undying love” for the DA in an interview with the Sunday Tribune. Her response to the exodus from the DA was that political parties were not lifetime contracts and people must come and go.
She said those who have left had different reasons to hers and described the massive party as full of “very good people”. “Those who follow politics would know that I was in a relatively secure position and I was well-placed in the internal party list.
I do not have any issue with or in the party. “I could have taken Mbali Ntuli’s position in the legislature when she left, but I stayed in the city because I thought the work I was doing there was impactful. “There is this media obsession that is trying to drive this particular narrative. I have been a member since I was 17.
I am very comfortable within the DA and I will remain a supporter as long as it speaks to the values that I care about. “There are no internal squabbles, this is purely about my development and future,” she said.
Graham disclosed that she would be pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) through the University of Sydney for 18 months as part of her development and future. She said the idea came in March when she started applying and eventually received a scholarship.
“I joined politics when I was 17 and I had ambitions to become a member of the legislature or Parliament. But also, I wanted to further my studies and experience something else. This may be my opportunity to experience something new. I never studied after my undergrad degree,” she said.
Graham almost donned mayoral chains when she was fielded in a closely contested mayoral position after the ANC failed to secure an outright majority in the November local government elections. The DA had gained backing from other smaller parties to vote out the ANC.
But it was deputy mayor Philani Mavundla, president of the Abantu Batho Congress, who ruined the party when he changed his mind and formed a coalition with the ANC.
Quizzed if she would have considered leaving the country had she become a mayor, Graham admitted that things would have been different. “It is very hard to say what would have happened if ‘A, B and C' had happened. I am pretty sure things would have been different.
That is life. But the plan was not for me to become a mayor at all costs. There was an opportunity which is still there, the goal was never for us (the DA) to be in the office of eThekwini, but we want to do something that is going to change people’s lives,” she said. The DA is yet to announce a new caucus leader, and Graham would not be drawn to reveal who is likely to take over.
She served in the exco with two other DA members, Thabani Mthethwa and Yogiswarie Govender, who are considered front runners for the position. Graham said the caucus would meet while she served her notice to elect a new leader. “I think we have depth in leadership. I was not working alone, it has always been a team effort.
“So I have no doubt there is enough capacity within the caucus to take over where I left off. Both Thabani Mthethwa and Yogis Govender are both capable members of incredibly competent people,” Graham said. On her future in politics, Graham said she only had a student visa that would allow her to stay in Australia for 18 months.
She added that there were bigger prospects of her coming back, as her studies would be completed before the 2024 general elections. “I will remain involved in the party, but there is no guarantee of what will happen when I come back. “The DA is a competitive party so should I come back I will have to compete for my role,” she added. Graham said she would be leaving on her own to join her sister, who has been living in Australia since 2016.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE