The DA has moved from the centre to the right and no longer represents the aspirations of the majority of South Africans, according to Zwakele Mncwango, the outgoing DA chief whip in the KZN Legislature and KZN DA leader from 2015 to 2021.
Mncwango’s announcement of his resignation from the KZN legislature on Wednesday morning caught many political pundits by surprise. He remains a DA member.
His announcement follows the exit of a number of prominent black DA leaders. Former DA youth leader Makashule Gana left the party in August. Mbali Ntuli, an MPL in the KZN legislature, left in March. Outspoken MP Phumzile van Damme resigned from the party in May 2021. Former DA leader Mmusi Maimane and former Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba left the party after the 2019 general elections.
DA Federal Council Chair Helen Zille has dismissed the loss of black party leaders as no “big deal”, adding that “people come and go”.
‘Definitely not ANC-bound’
Mncwango said he was definitely not going to the ANC and that he was quitting to reflect on his future. He said he would decide his political future before 15 October.
“People who understand me and what I stand for will know that I will never join the ANC. In reaching this decision, I engaged in much soul-searching and reflection and decided I had to evaluate how much more of a contribution I could make going forward. I decided to resign from my political position and salary so that I could get some time to reflect.
“I don’t think that there is an intention from the organisation to push out [black] leaders. I was not being pushed out or purged. But I do strongly believe that the party that I joined with the hope that we can be able to build a country that is united together has faded.
“I had this hope that we can build something that can take out the ANC and actually look at the interest of all South Africans.”
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He said the party had shifted to the right and this had alienated him and many other moderates. He said the moderates and the conservatives were no longer “sharing the same values and not sharing the same vision” and there was a “disconnect” in the party.
“Slowly, I was finding myself in a space where the values that I believed in were somehow not being fulfilled by the organisation in terms of working in the [KZN] legislature. When you work in the legislature you have a responsibility to defend the organisation in many ways.”
He said he could not defend some of the positions of the DA in public with confidence.
Francois Rodgers, the DA leader in KZN, said: “The DA would like to wish Zwakele all the best as he begins a new chapter in his personal journey.”
Black leader exodus to have ‘significant' effect
Zakhele Ndlovu, a UKZN-based analyst, said the exodus of black leaders from the DA would have a significant effect on the party’s standing, especially among black voters.
“The departure of these prominent black leaders in the DA raises eyebrows and also reinforces the stereotype or perception that the DA is not a comfortable home for black people and black leaders to grow and express themselves.
“The DA has realised that placing black people in prominent positions has not helped it to grow and win support amongst the majority black voters.
“I think at this particular time the DA doesn’t care whether black leaders come and go because it has not helped its ambitions of growing black support and it would rather stick with the white and minority leaders who will keep the white, Indian and coloured support for the party." DM
This article was updated on 6 October, 2022 to clarify that Zwakele Mncwango quit his post in the KZN legislature on Wednesday, but remains a DA member.