We’ll elect interim leaders without ‘murders, assaults’ or ‘chairs being thrown’ – DA

Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson Solly Malatsi has written a column in the Daily Maverick aimed at political commentators who have criticised the party or predicted its downfall, following internal battles which led to the resignation of former leader Mmusi Maimane, former federal chairperson Athol Trollip, and outgoing Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba.

According to Malatsi, any commentator who has done so in the past has “inevitably been embarrassingly wrong”.

“Despite this, they go on each time to live to fail another day, because theirs is one of the few jobs where failure is never held accountable,” he writes.

Malatsi argued that those who criticised the DA following Maimane’s exit had “bought into the ANC’s paradigm of looking at South Africa’s challenges through the prism of race and ethnicity fueled by groupthink”.

According to the DA spokesperson, “most of our critics simply cannot understand a diverse, inclusive, robustly democratic, liberal party that is passionate about redressing the legacy of the past and beating poverty”.

He said the party would “continue building the moderate, inclusive middle ground of South African politics, and will continue to ignore the political obituaries”.

Malatsi also took the opportunity to take a swipe at both the governing African National Congress (ANC) and the DA’s closest rivals in the opposition, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

READ MORE: There are ‘malicious intentions’ behind Maimane scandals – Solly Malatsi

“During the months ahead, we will elect a new interim leadership, hold a policy conference and then a federal congress where we will pass a raft of policy resolutions, and elect our leadership.

“These events will happen according to our rules and constitution. They will be free, fair, open and accountable. Candidates will not be murdered or assaulted, chairs will not be thrown. Our internal institutions actually work.”

The reference to candidates being “murdered” is likely the political killings that have plagued KwaZulu-Natal, and which are believed to be linked to internal faction fighting within the ANC.

The reference to assault could be a number of incidents.

Most recently, in October, the ANC in Mpumalanga suspended Ngrayi Ngwenya and fellow regional executive committee (REC) member Phindile Nkuna in July, following the alleged assault on the party’s acting provincial secretary Lindiwe Ntshalintshali.

The reference to chair-throwing, meanwhile, is a throwback to earlier this year, when a SABC elections debate in Hout Bay erupted in chaos as members of the EFF and members of the newly formed Land Party attacked each other with chairs.

The full column can be read here.

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman)

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