Two-horse race in Gauteng DA: Msimanga and Ramulifho go head-to-head

The contest for Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng leader is now a two-horse race after former Joburg mayor and caucus leader Mpho Phalatse pulled out.

Incumbent leader Solly Msimanga and Gauteng shadow MEC for education Khume Ramulifho are expected to battle it out for the top job.

The Gauteng DA will have its congress at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg on 12 August.

Phalatse was expected to faceoff against Msimanga after she lost to John Steenhuisen, who was re-elected national DA leader at the party’s congress in Joburg in April.

Her prominence in Gauteng took a further knock after she was removed as a mayor and replaced by Kabelo Gwamanda.

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As if this was not enough, Phalatse was then replaced by Belinda Echeozonjoku as the party’s Joburg caucus leader and relegated to an ordinary councillor.

Phalatse has, however, insisted she never put her hand up to lead the party in the province.

“Reports to the contrary were incorrect and ill-informed,” she said. She said the race to become the national leader and the Gauteng leader were different.

“Being Gauteng-based would actually improve my chances of success at the provincial race and not the other way around. But, like I said, I was never in the running.”

Phalatse also disputed claims she was removed as a DA’s caucus leader in Joburg. “I simply did not avail myself for re-election.”

Msimanga has not been without scandals of his own. A video emerged purporting to show him dripping in blood after being beaten up. The man said in the video he beat up Msimanga because he was a liar and a thief.

“This is what happens to liars and thieves, Solly. You are a thief, and you are not going to turn this into a political storm for yourself in my direction. You are a thief. You owe me money,” the man purportedly said.

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However, the man later publicly apologised to Msimanga, saying no money was owed to him.

Msimanga said he would be standing again for the position as he has only served one term and there had been work that they started to do after some senior DA Gauteng leaders left the party.

“The party was left in tatters and it has been my job and continues to be my job to rebuild it. We are now almost back to where we were and we want to continue with what we have been doing towards 2024 and 2026,” he said.

Msimanga said he did not fear Ramulifho could topple him but he did not want to take things for granted.

“I am never one to take things for granted or sound arrogant, but we are campaigning on the ground,” he said.

“The vibe and the message I have been getting has been positive. People have been openly saying they want us to continue with what we have been doing in 2020.

“People have been saying there should not be a need to change the system and a platform that is working. I think it is going to be a good showing for me and I am not intimidated [by Ramulifho].”

Ramulifho said the first challenge for him was to win internal support of the party as the contest was for delegates and, subsequent to that, to deal with challenges faced by South Africans, especially in Gauteng.

He said as much as they had seen the decline of the ANC in the province, the DA had not benefitted from the ANC’s decline.

“I want us to make sure we benefit and gain from the loss which the ANC is currently going through. We have not come out to show the DA is the biggest part in the absence of the ANC. All the small parties take support from the ANC and the DA.”

Ramulifho said he was not worried about Msimanga’s prominence.

“I didn’t just decide I wanted to raise my hand, it’s members of the party I’ve been working with. I am also a leader of integrity and that’s why people convinced me [to contest], and I have also been in the party longer than Solly,” he said.

“We lost more than 78 seats in 2021 in Gauteng and if we say someone is strong, then why are they losing support? If someone is strong, then it means someone must resonate with the people from the ground. People must have confidence in you and they must be able to win your support.”

Ramulifho insisted the DA had to cleanse itself from leaders who are associated with wrongdoings.

“The problem we have is that many politicians are associated with wrong things. They can’t pass any credibility test because they either have scandals, or the public ends up losing trust. Credibility and integrity must be nonnegotiable,” he said.