BREAKING NEWS: #MmusiMaimane steps down as DA leader

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane stepped down as party leader. DA federal chairman Athol Trollip also resigned. 

Maimane made the announcement at a press conference at the DA headquarters at Nkululeko House in Bruma.

“There comes a time when leaders must step back from all the noise and conjecture, and make a sober and honest assessment as to what the future holds.

“I have spent the past few days doing just that alongside my wife.

“In the end we have come to the conclusion that despite my best efforts, the DA is not the vehicle best suited to take forward the vision of building one South Africa for all.”

Also read: Mashaba’s resignation and key take-outs from his announcement speech

Maimane has led the party since May 2015.

His future in the party has been widely discussed since the beginning of the week after the election of Hellen Zille as Federal Chairperson of the party over the weekend.

The election of Zille was subsequently followed by the announcement of the resignation of Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba.

Mmusi Maimane resigns as the DA leader but remains as the parliamentary leader until the end of the year! #MmusiMaimane pic.twitter.com/q80Ji6Ncg4

— Mmadikgosi Matshego (@Mmadikgosi_23) October 23, 2019

In his resignation speech, Mashaba said he joined the DA because he could no longer stand back and watch South Africa being destroyed by corruption, failure, and arrogance.

“My decision to stand as a mayoral candidate was not motivated by the desire to hold political office, but out of a desire to serve the residents of Johannesburg and to get our City working again.”

https://twitter.com/mbaliher/status/1186977923892465665

“I believe that the only way to expand individual freedom, and broaden access to opportunity, is to grow the economy and provide more of our people with the dignity of work. And yet, I believe that a capable state has a responsibility to work pro-actively to address the legacy of inequality that persists 25 years after the fall of Apartheid,” said Mashaba.

He added the DA was no longer representative of a party that is able to achieve what he desired.

We all saw it coming. I wonder how he didn't #MmusiMaimane

— Lungisa Spho Mnyandu (@Spoksi_Goba) October 23, 2019

“I cannot reconcile myself with a group of people who believe that race is irrelevant in the discussion of inequality and poverty in South Africa in 2019.

” I cannot reconcile myself with people who do not see that South Africa is more unequal today than it was in 1994.”

” I cannot reconcile myself with people who fail to realise that we have a patriotic duty to unseat the ANC and save our country before it is too late.”

“At the heart of the matter, will be the pro-poor agenda that this multi-party government has executed. I have stood in front of halls filled with upper-income Johannesburg residents who, without exception, understand the need to address the unsustainable inequality in our country.”

Is DA leader Mmusi Maimane about to quit? #MmusiMaimane

— Lucky Fortune (@FortuneWide) October 23, 2019