DA challenger determined to win general election
In her pursuit to become the leader of the Democratic Alliance, Mbali Ntuli MPL is asking that South Africans rethink how the economy works.
DEMOCRATIC Alliance challenger, Mbali Ntuli is calling ‘bulls**t’ on conventional politics as she intensifies her campaign to be the party’s leader.
“I want to reach out to people we have never spoken to, experts that have different ideas to us. I want to reach out to people that have never considered the DA an option and welcome them in and tell them that their voices will be heard and get their advice on how we can do things,” she said.
Standing barefoot (not visible on camera), with a blue dress and a chequered scarf at the Pavilion Hotel in Durban, Ntuli declared herself as the party’s only hope to winning a general election.
Ntuli, (32), is up against another Durbanite, John Steenhuisen, (44), for the party’s top leadership position.
The position was left vacant by Mmusi Maimane, who resigned and left the party following a poor performance in the 2019 general elections where the DA lost two per cent of its voter base.
Ntuli based most of her speech around a progressive economic policy that looks to be against the DA’s fundamental ideals of market-based economy.
“We have been told so many times by our current leaders across political parties – particularly the ones that are generations older than myself – that this is the way things need to be, this is the way the economy is and that we must choose if we want to have an economy that looks over certain people over another,” said Ntuli.
“And I want to call bulls**t.” Following the coronavirus pandemic which has left millions of South Africans jobless, Ntuli proposes that we ‘rethink the ethics of our economy.’
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“A stakeholder economy, where we have people readily having equal opportunities to thrive. An economy that is not built solely for profit but one where the state and business can work together to forge a society that cares for everyone,” she said.
Dr Protas Madlala, an anti-apartheid activist and political analyst, said he does not rate Ntuli’s chances of winning very highly but believes she is raising pertinent questions for the party’s conservative wing.
“They (DA) have gone back to the laager mentality, they want to preserve the status quo instead of shaking it up. The issue of the economy is a very sensitive one,” he said.
Ntuli MPL has also challenged Steenhuisen MP to live televised debates when they can both air their views on social issues.
“That’s important because voters will know where their leaders stand and they can hold them accountable to their stances,” said Madlala.
Ntuli said she believes her views on economic and social redress are at odds with those of Steenhuisen.
“We also diverge on the climate crisis, ecological and green issues. The issues that surround trans, lesbian, gay and intersex persons,” she said.
“Perhaps he hasn’t ventilated it enough in his manifesto, which is why I think it’s important that we speak and have these debates so that we know where everybody stands.”
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