Zille shouldn’t act shocked, Maimane and Trollip’s resignations will suit her fine

Far from being, as Helen Zille claims, shocked by Mmusi Maimane and Athol Trollip’s resignations from the Democratic Alliance (DA), things have worked out perfectly for her.

She has regained complete control and power, and remains the prime leader and representative of a party that is determined to tilt further to the right. Unintended or not, the DA has now revealed its future self – a party that is retreating to conservatism over becoming a mass party.

In a country that is mostly black and becoming increasingly demographically younger, one wonders if this move will in time prove to be when the rebirth of the DA began or where it became like the National Party, which faded into oblivion of irrelevance. In 10 years’ time, how will the party attract supporters and recruit new members if reclaiming the party means sliding back to a far-right identity?

Cul-de-sac politics

For anyone who had doubts about the state of political parties in South Africa, Wednesday’s media briefing revealed how internal crises are not limited to the ruling ANC. Similarly, both parties are plagued by nostalgia for the past; they are stuck in the cul-de-sac of wanting to go back to the ‘good ol’ days’ in face of a changing social and political landscape.

At a time when the average voter is desperately looking for an alternative to the ANC, the state of the opposition parties is unimpressive and deeply troubling.

The implosion of the DA leadership so publicly reveals individuals who are subject to the aphrodisiac of power. Ironic really, how a party that has always claimed democratic practices couldn’t wait for its congress to allow its members to decide the fate of its leaders.

Make no mistake, the DA – much like the ANC – is a party facing organisational challenges and a possible implosion from within in the aftermath of three senior leaders resigning (John Steenhuisen announced his resignation as DA chief whip on Thursday). In Gauteng, this presents an opportunity for the ANC to possibly win back the mayor of Joburg seat.

In the face of an ageing support base, an increasingly political savvy young voter and the need to incorporate the struggles faced by the majority of citizens into political policy, the importance of adaptability might come to haunt the DA.

It may be that, in light of the results of the last election, the logic for the DA is to try and win back the lost votes.

But is the party neglecting the ultra-modern approach it had taken in trying to change the stereotypical view of itself – from being a party mostly concerned about the niche interests of middle- and upper-class whites, predominantly in the Western Cape, to an inclusive one?

Where to from here for its black members and supporters?

Is what we witnessed on Wednesday a tragic implosion of the DA? Or a necessary step towards achieving the fundamentals of the party? If yes –to what end? These are questions that DA members must ask themselves as the party makes its way to an early elective congress.

Amid everything that has transpired, and with these questions, I believe what the party has sowed and is currently sowing, so in time it will reap.

I wonder if those advising and surrounding Zille will realise that the gravest mistake the party made was re-electing Zille as federal chair? The flaws of political leaders lie in staying too long or seeking to retain political power for long.

It is a politics 101 truism that the longer a leader stays in power, the more likely they are to make political decisions that not only compromises them but also leads to division, factionalism and the creation of a penchant for domination in their party.

Moreover, such leaders often end up undoing their great work and tarnishing their once-shining reputations. The last few years in office of Thabo Mbeki and former British prime minister Tony Blair illustrates this point. They stayed too long, and eventually their own members became disillusioned with them.

It is logic-defying that in the face of changing society and shifting ground, the DA looked outside and became terrified of these changes. So much so that it looked inward and opted for the comfort of what is familiar and decided to head back to the past.

One thing is clear – behind closed doors, the party opted to be indulgent to its former leader’s quest for ultimate power. Beyond the obvious reason, we may never know what other power plays and internal political dynamics led to Zille being elected federal chair. But we know one thing: she was able to persuade those who voted that she is more trustworthy and a better bet for the party’s future than Athol Trollip.

In the process, however, she has revealed a side of herself that should worry not just the DA’s powerful elites but its ordinary members too – an inability or unwillingness to know when to leave or retire. The chill of this trait is terrifying. Something tells me historians will not give her a favourable account of leadership when time calls for it. She will have left a trail of many powerful political carcasses behind her.

There is a lesson here – the last person standing can never be a good tactic for leadership. Yes, Zille may be the federal chair, but what transpired on Wednesday, and the shock she expressed shock (whether feigned or real) speaks volumes to the hollowness of her victory.