Ghaleb Cachalia quits DA over Gaza, spits fire at wider party issues

18 Jan 2024

Some six weeks after being demoted by the Democratic Alliance over his public criticism of Israel, prominent MP Ghaleb Cachalia has quit the party altogether – but not before taking aim at the DA leadership.

‘Dysfunctional, undemocratic and authoritarian.”

That’s outgoing DA MP Ghaleb Cachalia’s summary of the current ethos of the Democratic Alliance (DA), as contained in a 30-page resignation package posted by Cachalia on X on Thursday.

The former DA spokesperson on public enterprises wrote that he believed he was likely to be axed from the party lists of returning MPs after the 2024 elections as a result of the breakdown of relations between him and DA leader John Steenhuisen.

Cachalia has been living on borrowed time since he was disciplined for tweeting a description of Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” in late October 2023. Since then, despite warnings from the party, he has continued to be outspoken on matters such as South Africa’s approach to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over Israel, and the dropping of South Africa’s U-19 cricket captain David Teeger over the latter’s support for Israeli soldiers.

Cachalia’s resignation comes as anger has grown towards the DA in some quarters, particularly in the Western Cape, over the party’s stance towards the Israeli bombardment of Gaza and its refusal to clearly call for a ceasefire.

But as Cachalia’s dossier makes clear, his issues with the DA leadership run deeper than concerns over freedom of speech.

Helen Zille allegedly advised Cachalia to wait it out

Cachalia’s publicly tweeted resignation letter was accompanied by some 29 pages of accompanying documents, the release of which will not have pleased the DA.

Cachalia, the son of ANC Struggle icons Yusuf and Amina Cachalia, noted in a letter to DA chair Helen Zille this week that his ongoing position in the DA had cost him “considerable opprobrium from a number of friends, colleagues and even family members”.

After being demoted by Steenhuisen in November, Cachalia wrote that he had made several attempts to meet the DA party leader and enter mediation, none of which were successful.

He also claims in his letter that Zille herself advised him to “allow things to blow over” as a result of “Steenhuisen’s high level of current anger around issues concerning me”.

Despite this, Cachalia recorded that he had experienced ongoing “alienation” which he interprets as a prelude to Steenhuisen “blocking my return to Parliament” via a “manipulation of the system”.

He writes, however, that it would be unjust to have his return to the parliamentary benches thwarted, given his attainment of “a 100% score” in the DA’s evaluation of his performance in the legislature between May 2019 and November 2023.

The final straw from the party’s perspective appears to have been an interview Cachalia gave to Newzroom Afrika on 11 January 2024 in which he expressed enthusiastic support for the South African government’s decision to approach the ICJ over the Gaza onslaught.

The DA’s spokesperson on international relations, Emma Powell, previously summarised the party’s official stance on the ICJ quest to Daily Maverick as follows:

“Any country has the right to approach the ICJ. The DA will await the court’s findings. It is, however, a great pity that the South African government has consistently ignored gross human rights violations on our own doorstep. The DA continues to support a viable two-state solution as per the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and calls for an urgent mediated settlement to this abhorrent war.”

Following Cachalia’s interview, Powell wrote to Cachalia – as revealed by his dossier – to accuse him of “heaping praise and glory on our kleptocratic national government”.

Wrote Powell: “With astounding hubris, you proceeded to muse that former ANC leaders such as Albert Luthuli and Nelson Mandela would have likely supported your position”.

Powell also accused Cachalia of “hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty” in “continuing to draw a salary from a seat that you occupy in Parliament on behalf of the Democratic Alliance, whilst actively repudiating our policies and positions in the public arena”.

Powell informed Cachalia that she was consequently reporting him to both the DA’s federal legal commission and the party’s Gauteng provincial executive for disciplinary action and a possible reconsideration of his MP candidacy.

In Cachalia’s letter to Zille, he contends that Powell has no legal ability to take this action, and alleges that Powell has been used to “drive the Steenhuisen agenda” by sending him a letter “clearly crafted by Steenhuisen’s team”.

He further argues that his statements on Newzroom Afrika were, in any event, not in violation of the DA’s constitution because a “final and binding policy position” on the matter had yet to be taken by the party’s parliamentary caucus.

DA leadership marked by ‘pettiness, short-sightedness, authoritarianism’

Cachalia’s resignation pulled no punches in a wider critique of the current DA leadership, which he argues has been hijacked by Steenhuisen in an undemocratic fashion.

Cachalia charges that this is particularly the case when it comes to controversial policy on issues such as the current Gaza conflict: in his letter to Zille, Cachalia claims that Powell had previously complained to him about the “hoops” her statements on international relations had to pass through.

Cachalia also contends that Steenhuisen’s leadership has failed to address confusion about the party’s position on key issues and has failed to produce a coherent policy platform.

Describing the current leadership as marked by “pettiness, short-sightedness, authoritarianism and departure from the values and principles of the party”, Cachalia also argues that the DA is drifting from its ideological home.

“The party’s worrying move away from the centre of the political spectrum, in its embracing of right-wing tribal, religious and ultra-libertarian partners, the appointment of PR/lobbying/electoral firms with decidedly dubious pasts and the wooing of organisations like the Afrikanerbond to endorse the Multi-Party Charter, present serious cause for concern,” he wrote.

The DA fired back in a quietly furious statement on Thursday afternoon, saying that the party “categorically rejects the claims Cachalia has manufactured in an attempt to justify his resignation, including his mischaracterisation of the party’s position on the war in Gaza”.

The statement said that the DA was home to a multitude of divergent opinions which members respect – “except for Ghaleb Cachalia”.

Cachalia’s “disrespect for party processes, for his colleagues, and for the diversity of views in the DA” has “mounted over time,” party spokesperson Solly Malatsi charged.

“The party rejects Cachalia’s attempts to scapegoat DA leader John Steenhuisen, which are belied by his full-throated support for Steenhuisen during the party’s recent Federal Congress. Less than a year ago, Cachalia declared on Facebook his ‘admiration’ for Steenhuisen, pointing out that he ‘walks the talk’ as a leader,” Malatsi stated.

On social media, some commentators did not hesitate to point out that Cachalia’s own response to the previous resignation of high-profile DA figures has been less than sympathetic, including accusing them of playing “the race card”.

Cachalia told Daily Maverick on Thursday that his next moves were not yet confirmed, but that he was considering a range of options, from standing as an independent political candidate to working in a consultant capacity within politics or civil society.

Israel is a wedge issue dividing parties internationally

However remote geographically, the current Middle East conflict remains a wedge issue for political parties globally.

Cachalia is not the first South African politician to step down as a direct result of the local discourse around Gaza.

In November 2023, an Action SA senate member, Mustafa Darsot, resigned from Herman Mashaba’s party, citing Action SA’s failure to condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza.

While the DA may have acted decisively when it comes to Cachalia, it has not been lost on observers that other DA figures appear to be enjoying greater freedom when it comes to expressing views on the other ideological side of the conflict.

DA councillor Renaldo Gouws, the party’s spokesperson for economic development in Nelson Mandela Bay, continues to tweet full-throated opinions in support of Israel without evident repercussions. DM

Categories:

Tags:

DM is much better if you are signed in...

Politics

Helen Zille allegedly advised Cachalia to wait it out

DA leadership marked by ‘pettiness, short-sightedness, authoritarianism’