DA Member of Parliament resigns
LINDEN – Melville resident and ex-chief whip Ian Davidson announces his resignation at Linden constituency meeting.
The shadow minister of international relations and cooperation for the Democratic Alliance resigned tonight.
Ian Davidson announced that he would vacate his post on 30 November at a meeting held in Linden on 25 November.
The reason he offered those who attended the meeting, that he would lose money if he were to keep his position until his approaching retirement, raised eyebrows rather than offer answers.
He made it clear that he would remain a member of the Democratic Alliance and was only giving up his seat.
Having served as chief whip until two years ago, he made no mention of the Parliamentary voting debacle earlier this month or whether it was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back.
Bruce Herbert, Linden resident and DA Ward 99 councillor, expressed his dismay at the announcement after the meeting.
“It is with sadness that we hear of [Davidson’s] resignation,” he told NMT.
“His many years of service will leave a legacy that few can live up to.”
62-year-old Davidson is a local boy, who matriculated from Parktown Boys’ High School and studied Law at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).
He joined the Progressive Party while at Wits in 1969 and was elected to Johannesburg’s City Council in 1982. He also served in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, having been elected in 1994.
