Cracks in DA as Johannesburg mayor quits
JOHANNESBURG - The mayor of South Africa’s commercial capital, Johannesburg, has resigned from is post and from the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA).
Herman Mashaba said he could not “reconcile myself with people who believe that race is not important in their discussion of inequalities,” and who undermined his “pro-poor agenda.”
Mashaba’s decision was sparked by Sunday’s election of former leader Helen Zille to the second most powerful post in the party.
“The election of Helen Zille as chairperson of the Federal Council represents a victory for people in the DA who stand diametrically opposed to my beliefs and value system,” he said at a press conference.
Mashaba said he would step down next month, raising questions about whether the DA would be able to retain the mayoral post in Johannesburg.
Last week, Mashaba - a self-made businessman who joined politics late in life told a local radio station - said he would resign if the party was taken over by “right-wing elements.”
Mashaba led the DA to its first victory in Johannesburg in local elections in 2016, and was seen as a key ally of the party’s first black leader, Mmusi Msimane, in his efforts to increase support among black voters.
But the DA’s share of the vote dropped in the general election in May after some conservative white voters abandoned the party, and Zille’s return to a senior post is seen as an attempt to regain their support. Zille has indicated that she supports Western Cape province premier, Alan Winde, replacing Maimane as party leader. This has fulled speculation that she wants the DA to return to its traditional roots and it has given up on winning the support of black voters.
She says she is still committed to winning over black voters, but not through “race-based” policies. -