With questions being raised about the DA’s sidelining of black talent in its ranks, Sunday World can reveal that out of the 20 seats the DA holds in the Gauteng legislature, only four are occupied by black Africans while the rest of the 16 seats are held by white people.
DA senior leader Makashule Gana, who is the party’s former deputy federal chairperson and MPL became the latest high-profile leader to resign in protest against the marginalisation of black leaders in the party.
His resignation from the legislature follows that of former party leader in Gauteng John Moodey and MPL Nkele Molapo, among others.
It has now emerged that the majority of black MPLs who have left the DA in the wake of the fallout caused by the election of former leader Helen Zille as the chairperson of the federal council and the rise to power of John Steenhuisen as party
leader, have been replaced by their white colleagues.
According to a revised list of the DA’s representatives in the legislature for this year, which Sunday World has seen, Gana is likely to be replaced by Jade Miller, a councillor in Mogale City, who is next in line.
A senior member of the DA said the demographic makeup of the DA team in the Gauteng legislature showed a lack of diversity and the emergence of white domination in the DA. The leader blamed Gauteng DA leader Solly Msimanga for allowing a culture of marginalisation of black leaders in the DA in Gauteng, the country’s economic hub.
“Solly is in charge of the province. He can’t say that is not aware of this [lack of diversity]. Is he saying all of this is OK? In the 16 remaining members [of the DA legislature team] there are no Indians and coloureds. Where is the diversity we are preaching?” the member asked.
The four black Africans who remain in the DA Gauteng legislature team are Msimanga, Kingsol Chabalala, Khume Ramulifho and Refiloe Nt’sekhe.
Those that have since joined the legislature since the departure of black leaders include Nicola du Plessis, Ruhan Robinson, Evit Phillipus du Plessis, Anne Engelbrecht, Nico de Jager and Wildri Peach – all of whom are white. In some instances, white leaders such as Mike Moriarty –who has been deployed to the office of the mayor of Joburg Mpho Phalatse as chief of staff – were replaced by white leaders.
A DA MP said: “The reality is that whoever is going to replace Gana is white. That is the racial composition we have now.”
The concerns about the demographic makeup of the DA in the Gauteng legislature come as the organisation faces an exodus of senior black leaders, raising the spectre of further electoral losses in the 2024 provincial and national elections.
As reported by Sunday World a fortnight ago, DA Free State leader Patricia Kopane exited the party, saying “I do not feel like I belong in the DA”.
She told EWN: “Especially after Mmusi left, we saw the regrouping of white people coming together, black people were marginalised, so I realised it is no longer the party that I belong to.”
The resignations of black leaders in key municipalities, including Johannesburg and Midvaal, have dealt a blow to the party’s chances of winning Gauteng with an outright majority.
Gana is the former youth wing leader of the DA who is credited with helping the organisation penetrate black communities. His resignation comes hot on the heels of the departure of the party’s rising star, Bongani Baloyi, who was the mayor of Midvaal.
Under Baloyi’s watch, Midvaal enjoyed a long period of clean audits. Baloyi has since joined former DA Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba as ActionSA’s Gauteng provincial leader.
Msimanga did not reply to requests for comment. Fred Nel, DA Gauteng chairperson, referred questions to Msimanga.
DA spokesperson Solly Malatsi also referred questions to the DA in Gauteng.
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