Well, many blame it squarely on the return of Helen “Godzilla” Zille to the powerful position as federal chairperson that saw DA’s ‘black- academia’ rethinking their position in the party.
Maimane resignation follows hot on the heels of that Herman Mashaba, who during his speech uttered “you are a hero to me…”
Maimane (regarded as Barack Obama of SA) is reported to have rejected pleas from members of the federal executive for him to stay at the helm of the DA, saying he was being ‘undermined and de-campaigned from within the party’.
The Soweto-born said there was a concerted campaign within the party to undermine his leadership by those who did not share his vision.
“They don’t share the vision for the party and the direction it was taking.
“There have been several months of a consistent and co-ordinated attack on me and my leadership to ensure that this project fails or I fail,” Maimane said, going as far as mentioning anonymous media leaks that were aimed at muddying his name and integrity, the scandal relating to his Cape Town house and the car he used which was donated to the DA by disgraced former Steinhoff boss Markus Jooste.
“This cowardly behaviour has put my wife and my kids in great danger as I watched, often in disgust, the pictures of our home being published in the media,” he said.
He said he did not believe the DA was well placed to take the country forward, echoing Mashaba’s statements that the party was dominated by people who did not believe in redress.
“Perhaps the DA is not the best vehicle suited to take forward the vision of building one South Africa for all and therefore it is with great sadness that in order to continue this fight for the vision I strongly believe for the country I so dearly love, I will today step down as leader of the DA,” he said.
The hard-talking and revered Maimane is still a DA card carrying member, an MP, is still going to be caucus leader in Parliament, although he could still be fired.
However, after-all has been said and done, the question is will he still be a DA member?
A senior DA member Athol Trollip, also resigned from his position.
Zille said the party was left in limbo by the dramatic resignations as they left no one to take over the reins of the party, which has been engulfed in a bruising factional battle over its ideology and policies of redress.
“Our constitution makes provision for the fact that, if the leader departs in unforeseen circumstances, the party chairperson takes over until a new leader can be elected”.
True that you cannot have two bulls in a kraal- surely the grass will suffer!
Is a cabal on the way- we shall see?
Image (Former DA leader Mmusi Maimane throws in towel alleging he’s been undermined).
