DA loses its policy chief a month before manifesto unveiling

Senior leaders of the Democratic Alliance confirmed on Thursday that Gwen Ngwenya has stepped down from her position as the DA’s policy chief a month before the party is expected to unveil its 2019 election manifesto.

Looking at the draft manifesto. Look forward to sharing a vision for SA on 23rd of Feb. To give SAfricans a choice between a closed state and an open one, a corrupt captured one or one that is accountable to citizens.Let’s build a SA where there is a job in every home #1SA4ALL pic.twitter.com/h8Rrl96mRj

— Mmusi Maimane (@MmusiMaimane) January 22, 2019

Ngwenya will, however, continue to serve as an MP in the DA.

According to a report published by Business Day, Ngwenya’s resignation is as a result of her differing with party leadership over its stance on broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE).

The publication cites an e-mail in their possession in which she expressed frustration over the fact that she received little feedback on her policy proposals since being appointed the party’s head of policy at the beginning of 2018.

Ngwenya is of the belief that race should not be a factor in economic policy, much like her former place of employment, the Institute of Race Relations.

Ngwenya has declined to comment on the matter, but a detailed resignation letter sent to Maimane and seen by The Citizen lists various operational and political stumbling blocks that led to Ngwenya’s resignation from the position.

According to Ngwenya, the fact that she had no job description, was saddled with inexperienced research staff, had no budget, and the terms of hire were never met were among the operational reasons for her resignation.

Chief among her political reasons for resigning is the fallout from an article she published on the party’s policy and the preceding lack of support from party leadership.

“In August 2018 I published an article indicating that BEE had not lived up to expectations and that the DA was exploring a policy alternative,” began Ngwenya, before adding: “Instead of having the courage of its convictions, at the mere whiff of a debate on BEE the party felt it best to attack the head of policy than to own up to its own structure’s decision. That was probably the moment at which I should have tendered my resignation; when I was hung out to dry without so much as a phone call for reiterating what the leader had months ago already said, albeit within the relative safety of a DA newsletter.”

This left Ngwenya feeling as though she was merely the face of DA policy and was, in no meaningful way, actually appointed to do the work she expected to do.

“It is unfortunate to come to the realisation that I have never in any meaningful way been the head of policy; I was given all of the responsibility and none of the basic levers to do the job. In practice, all this resignation means is that from today I am no longer available to be the face of policy. I will continue to offer my opinion (it being not in my nature to withhold it) and to carry out my duties as a member of parliament,” concluded Ngwenya.

Despite all this, it seems as though it’s all systems go as DA leader Mmusi Maimane has confirmed that the party’s manifesto will be unveiled on the 23rd of February.

https://twitter.com/MTshwete/status/1087977449189707776

Both Maimane and the DA national spokesperson, Solly Malatsi, have not yet commented on the matter on social media but Malatsi thanked Ngwenya for the work she had done on the party’s policy platform, which he insisted would culminate in the launch of the manifesto.

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