Johannesburg – The DA is divided on whether to release the list of its candidates for local elections, as fear has gripped the organization that more people could dump it should they not make the cut.
The official opposition has consolidated the list of its candidates, which was set to be discussed at the meeting of its federal executive on Friday.
Sunday World understands that provinces differed on the timing of the release of the list.
Gauteng is among the provinces that want the list to be immediately released and the party to deal with the consequences of those who leave because they were not selected.
The Northern Cape and KwaZulu Natal were of the view the release of the letter would have a negative impact on the party’s campaign towards October 27.
“The list has already been done. People are panicking,” an insider said, adding “Remember for some people this is the only job they have”.
The panic over the list came as the party continued to lose black leaders to its former senior leader and erstwhile Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba’s Action SA and Gayton McKenzie’s Patriotic Alliance.
There were concerns among black leaders that the party had been hijacked by white clique led by John Steenhuisen and federal council chairperson Helen Zille.
This week, two DA councilors in Tshwane resigned from the party and their positions in the council, citing racism.
In a scathing letter, Rose Maake and Mike Mokhari decried being bullied, undermined and disrespected in the party.
“The DA has a tendency to use black people to destroy each other and some of our colleagues see it but they are afraid to speak out. The DA we voted for is no longer the same; the leadership is very arrogant,” they said in a joint letter.
Last year, former DA leader in the region Abel Tau also left the party and joined Mashaba.
Last month, Sunday World reported that calls were growing inside the DA for Steenhuisen and Zille to be taken to task over the party’s poor showing at the by-elections and the departure of senior black leaders.
Party insiders told Sunday World that since the emergence of the duo, the official opposition has been bleeding support in black, coloured and Indian communities due to the belief that Steenhuisen and Zille were pushing a white agenda.
This comes after the party continued to haemorrhage support in black communities during the by-elections.
The DA lost 3 wards in Johannesburg, the country’s economic hub, where the official opposition led a coalition that used to govern the crucial metro. Gayton McKenzie’s Patriotic Alliance took two big wards from the DA in Eldorado Park and Kliptown while the official opposition lost ward 7 to the ANC. The DA’s support in Eldorado Park dropped from 81% in 2016 to 22%.
DA spokesperson Siviwe Garube had not responded to written questions by the time of going to press.
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