Former DA leader Helen Zille’s shadow still looms large over the party. This should not come as a surprise: she was responsible for the DA’s huge growth from what was a "white party" to one that is more demographically representative of the wider society.
It was under Zille that the DA took control of Cape Town and the Western Cape and snatched its first municipality in Gauteng.
Gregarious and bold, Zille stepped aside for her protégé, Mmusi Maimane, but as Western Cape premier she held a powerful government position and set the bar for DA-run government. She commanded respect and influence in the DA to a degree that became uncomfortable for Maimane. "People bowed down to her; in a sense he became second fiddle to her," said an MP who wished to remain anonymous.
Maimane admitted it was difficult to have the former and current leader in the same leadership structure. He told the FM there was nothing sensational about the comment, and Zille herself has said she felt uncomfortable trying to lead a caucus in which her predecessor, Tony Leon, sat.
Maimane has built on Zille’s drive to make the DA more racially inclusive. But some in the DA say that under Zille there was a sense that she felt leaders she had "made" should toe her line. An example was her spat with former parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko.
The breaking point for Maimane came over Zille’s controversial tweets on the positive legacy of colonialism, which were seen to undermine black dignity and make light of a cruel system. He roundly denounced her tweets but even after a social media backlash Zille wrote a long defence of her stance.
Zille’s touch could also be seen in the DA’s battle with Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille. Zille had sided with councillor JP Smith, seen as a key opponent of De Lille in the caucus. De Lille then resigned as provincial leader.
Zille told the FM she could not be interviewed for this report as she would only comment on matters related to her position as premier, a condition set by Maimane and the DA leadership after the colonialism tweet saga.
The episode effectively neutralised her influence in the DA. Under the settlement, Zille keeps her job as premier (until her term ends in 12 months) but steps down from all party structures. Anything she says on party matters must be approved by the appropriate party channels.
According to Frans Cronje of the SA Institute of Race Relations, Zille commanded a lot of public attention and was astute where she needed to be, but also benefited from a "largely sound ideological grounding". He told the FM: "That is so important for politicians — they need to understand why their party takes a position and there must be a high degree of internal consistency in the message, else the support base may drift."
"I think that as that grounding was eroded over recent years, that did become problematic and there have been consequences within the support base."
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.