IN-DEPTH
NATASHA MARRIAN: DA faces monumental image dilemma ahead of elections
As it prepares for a tough election battle next year, a perfect storm is moving over the DA. Its contradictions over racial identity are sharpening; the ham-fisted handling of a very public battle with former Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille; its discord over diversity and quotas; the water crisis; and a new ANC leadership present the party with a tempest of issues. Deputy federal chairwoman Natasha Mazzone is frank about the challenge the De Lille matter poses for the party. She admits that the DA’s fight with the popular former mayor poses a "reputational risk", particularly among voters in the Western Cape. She adds, however, that the DA is up to the task of regaining lost ground. There is a widespread perception that black leaders in the DA are dispensable at the whim of an "old guard" in the party — a bloc that has been immovable in its approach towards politics, even in SA’s dynamic and ever-changing political environment.Former DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko’s depa...
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