A mock leadership battle has begun in the DA following Zille’s announcement that she will not be available for re-election at the party’s elective congress on May 9.
The official opposition will elect a new leadership in Port Elizabeth next month.
DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane has emerged as the most likely successor to Zille, but Maimane has said he will “consult with structures before making himself available”.
It is common knowledge though that Zille prefers Maimane and that her voice carries the most weight despite “democratic voting” within the party. Zille was instrumental in appointing previous parliamentary leader and political train wreck, Lindiwe Mazibuko, despite a lack of votes.
Zille said she would remain Western Cape premier for another four years and would work to grow the DA’s support base in next year’s local government elections.
Meanwhile the party has extended the deadline for nominations in a bid to look “fair”.
Maimane’s possible election and the retention of his current position as parliamentary leader would mean that once again the two roles which Zille had split, would be combined.
The turning point came when the DA attacked president Zuma together with the EFF in Parliament on Nkandla funding earlier this year, with both parties staging a notorious walk-out which led to chaos.
Before the walk-out, the DA was viewed as a white political party by the black electorate. Thus having the first black party leader articulating party policy with the help of the EFF will be important to garner more black votes in 2016.
Political analyst Daniel Silke told the Businessday that the end of Ms Zille’s reign offered just such an opportunity to the party. It provides the platform for the party to elect its first black leader and potentially expand its electoral base into new markets that until now might have been blocked, he said.
The risk, Silke added, was whether a black leader would resonate with the rank-and-file supporters on the coloured Cape Flats, a key constituency for the DA.
“Mr Maimane is the clear frontrunner and given his leadership of the parliamentary caucus, presents a much-needed and long-overdue opportunity to unify the position of national leader and caucus leader.”