Helen Zille is likely to be re-elected uncontested to lead the DA engine room after her lone contender, Lungile Phenyane, abruptly dropped out of the race.
This is as the party’s 2,000 delegates prepare to elect new leadership for the official opposition, which is looking to reduce the ANC’s majority in next year’s general elections.
The elections will be held in Johannesburg over the next two days, ending on Sunday. The party will also discuss various economic proposals, and the possible overhaul of election criteria for the National Assembly and provincial legislatures.
Phenyane, a social worker by profession, is an unfamiliar name in DA circles and the national political space. She has also dropped out of the race to contest two other positions: that of federal finance chairperson (held by Dion George) and that of DA leader (held by John Steenhuisen).
Steenhuisen’s post is being contested by former Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse.
Phenyane initially appeared on the ballot paper contesting the three positions after receiving one nomination per position, which is in line with the DA’s rules of contestation.
“She was not forced to withdraw from those positions. She withdrew voluntarily, because she felt that the current incumbents were doing well in those positions,” says the DA’s deputy federal congress presiding officer, Mimmy Gondiwe.
Steenhuisen, who has been at the party’s helm since 2019 after Mmusi Maimane’s resignation, is expected to be re-elected into the position having being endorsed by the majority of the leaders from various provinces.
Steenhuisen wants to serve another term as DA leader and take the party into the provincial and national elections in 2024.
The DA, with Maimane at the helm, received 26.9% of the vote during the 2016 local government elections, paving the way for the party to take control of key metros such as Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay and Tshwane.
“You are quite correct that in 2019 the DA polled 20.7%. That was four years ago, a long time, and things have changed a lot in our country. So, we do poll the electorate, as does the ANC, as do other non-political parties, and so the numbers coming through indicate that shift in support across the country for all parties,” said the DA’s presiding officer, Gregory Krumbock, on Friday.
According to the polling — both internal and external polls predict there will only be an 11% difference between the ANC and the DA at the 2024 national elections, says the party — the party’s conference could well be electing the country’s next president, Krumbrock said.
“That says to me the 2024 national election is going to be the most open election we’ve had in our history. Our own poll confirms [this 11% difference] and interestingly, an internal poll the ANC did that was leaked shows they were even lower than we said they were, in the lower 30s,” he said.
“With the ruling party set to plummet by such a large percentage, there’s a lot that can happen.”
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