Photo: Daily Maverick

Faizel Patel – 30/10/2020

(Twitter: @FaizelPatel143)

As the Democratic Alliance (DA) conference delegates prepare for a weekend of elections and policy discussions, the clock is ticking for Mbali Ntuli and John Steenhuisen, the two contenders for the party’s leadership position.

The virtual conference, which will be necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, will see a number of leaders contesting for positions.

The DA’s chief whip in Gauteng Mike Moriarty, is taking on Helen Zille for the post of chairperson of the party’s federal council.

North West political analyst Prof Andre Duvenhage says this is a comprehensive election for the DA.

“I think we need to go back in history of the last year or two. We have seen major leadership changes and people deflecting from the party specifically leading members of the so-called black caucus involving the top leadership as well as a few others.”

Duvenhage says as a result the black leadership of the DA is not very strongly defined within the party.

“It seems as if the biggest strategy of the party after the bad election results of 2019, is to take the party back to the lines of Tony Leon and Helen Zille. That conservative process is not to the favour of the so called black caucus.”

Duvenhage believes Zille’s acts to sabotage her own party with social media posts which at times have caused controversy may play a role, but it will not have an impact her opponents would like to see.

Listen to the interview with Andre Duvenhage