DA risking black exodus over race

New battle brews in party over racially based policies 

A fresh battle over race is brewing in the DA, with some of its leaders warning the party could lose black supporters if it continues to oppose the use of racially based policies in redressing past economic injustice.

The official opposition has for years been embroiled in a debate over whether race should be used in empowerment, a feud that rocked the party late last year, leading to the dramatic resignation of former leaders like Mmusi Maimane and Herman Mashaba.

Towards last year’s general elections, Maimane and his supporters – many from the socalled black caucus – pushed to ensure that the party included race-based redress in its manifesto, which was being opposed by the white conservatives in the official opposition party.

The DA’s manifesto recognised that apartheid’s racebased policies pushed black South Africans to the periphery.

“The reason that the DA supports a programme of race-based redress is, simply put, because it is an important part of our country’s reconciliation project and vital for justice. Race-based redress, that truly seeks to broadly empower black South Africans, recognises that a particular group was disadvantaged in the past on the basis of their race and seeks to right that specific wrong,” the party’s manifesto reads.

Deep divisions over race also played themselves out when the party debated a “diversity clause” to ensure demographic representation in its leadership, amid accusations that it was a white organisation.

A confidential policy discussion paper, prepared for its policy preparation conference for the 2021 elections, which took place on Friday, shows a departure from the 2019 manifesto.

The document states that each individual is unique and “not a racial or gender envoy, and thus diversity is not demographic representivity”.

“Individuals, when free to make their own decisions, will not be represented in any and every organisation, sector, company or level of management according to predetermined proportion. The DA therefore opposes race, gender or other quotas,” the document says.

On redress, the party said it would implement policies “which tackle inequality of opportunity, including interventions in education, health care, the economy, and safety and security”.

A DA leader said redress that doesn’t recognise race and gender could lead to the party losing support among black people.


“You can’t say you support redress and say you don’t support race and gender. “Discrimination was based on race and gender,” he said, adding the party (was) going back to the past where it was viewed as fighting for the rights of minorities.

The leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said some black leaders who were key in mobilising support in black communities were disgruntled with the latest developments and were likely not going to continue canvassing black constituencies.

“This might be the end of the DA as the second-largest party. We are helping the ANC to regroup.” DA spokesperson Solly Malatsi would not answer detailed questions, only saying: “This is currently a discussion document, which will be debated at the upcoming policy conference where policy will be finalised.”

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