Newly elected DA leader John Steenhuisen and his ally Helen Zille, are now gunning for provinces to consolidate their power after the party’s bruising congress last week.
Two of the official opposition’s powerful provinces, Gauteng and Western Cape, will hold elective conferences next weekend.
A bruising battle is expected between caucus leader Solly Msimanga and DA MP James Lorimer.
Knives are out for Msimanga, who is accused of not supporting Steenhuisen and the party’s federal council chairperson Zille.
Last month, Sunday World reported that former Gauteng MPL Nkele Molapo had laid a formal sexual harassment complaint against Msimanga, the former Tshwane mayor. Molapo, who has since been expelled from the official opposition, has withdrawn the complaint and opened a criminal case against Msimanga.
Insiders said Steenhuisen’s and Zille’s supporters were behind Lorimer’s bid to lead the country’s economic heartland.
“Solly has more experience because he has been acting leader in the province and leads the caucus. But there is a school of thought that Solly did not support John and Helen,” a DA leader said, on condition of anonymity.
Until recently, Gauteng was the next frontier of the DA after the Western Cape.
But the resignation of former provincial leader John Moodey and several black leaders, including former Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba, has dealt the party a big blow in the run up to the local elections.
The party has also been dislodged from the City of Johannesburg, the country’s economic hub.
In the Western Cape, the speaker of the legislature Masizole Mnqasela is a firm favourite to become the new party leader.
Mnqasela will be going head to head with the current provincial leader, MEC for transport and public works Bonginkosi Madikizela.
Madikizela has fallen out of favour and was not made premier of the Western Cape, although he is leader of the party.
Mnqasela, whom Zille described as “Verwoerdian”, has now emerged as an ally of both the former party leader and Steenhuisen.
Zille and Steenhuisen were on a crusade to consolidate their power in the party and wanted control of the two crucial provinces. Last week’s emergence of a largely white leadership was on the back of hard lobbying by them.
