IT is probably true to say that the Democratic Alliance (DA) is often judged in the media according to its race profile rather than by its performance as a ‘government-in-waiting’.
The party’s Federal Congress held at the weekend bears witness of this slanted perspective.
We have seen media houses reporting more on the composition of the party’s top structures than on its policies and its potential to challenge the ruling ANC in the 2019 general election.
Making matters worse is the debate over its leader, Musi Maimane, whom many believe was handpicked by Helen Zille to take over the leadership of the DA (after attempts to become Premier of Gauteng and Mayor of Johannesburg failed), perceiving him to be a black puppet in a white organisation.
I believe this is unfair criticism. Black or white, Maimane has proven to be a leader in his own right and has taken the DA, quite emphatically, from point A to point B.
History will record that it was under his leadership that the party classified as ‘white’, gained control of the Nelson Mandela, Johannesburg and Tshwane metropolitian municipalities.
These municipalities had, since the first democratic elections in 1994, been under the governance of the ruling ANC, so certainly that shows leadership on his part.
People are making a fuss about the three white men and only one woman who were elected in the party’s top six positions, yet they fail to acknowledge that DA members were expressing their democratic rights to choose who they would like to see at the helm.
The DA might be dominated by whites, but it is still a party that offers a home for all South Africans.
As Maimane said in his closing remarks, if we only see him as black, then we are not really seeing him, because he is not only black, he is a South African citizen.
This in my view is how the whole party should be viewed, as a South African political party, not a white party, as it is contemplated in many political circles.
What happened to the song that says democracy means freedom to choose?
The reality is that the DA is increasing its membership base countrywide, and is making inroads in the black townships and rural areas, where it has previously struggled to penetrate.
If such support grows, the DA could spring surprises on the ruling ANC, which seems embroiled in its internal challenges, threatening its unity.
The 2019 general elections could prove to be the most highly contested yet, and the DA cannot be ignored given its performance in the past elections and their increase in numbers in the national assembly.
That having been said, Maimane has some hard work ahead to stop the Cyril Ramaphosa steam train.
Added to that is his apparent catastrophic contribution to the Western Cape’s water crisis, which has culminated in a 26,9% hike in consumers’ water bills.
