EBRAHIM HARVEY: DA’s big mistake has been to ignore the relevance of race in SA society
One cannot assess what is happening in the DA now without looking back at what has happened over the past five years or more. The key point about the crisis the party now finds itself in, which cannot be ignored, is the relevance of race in SA society in general. That includes politics, no matter how much formal commitment to nonracialism there may be in the DA.
In many ways the crisis, which some might argue was inevitable, also echoes the inherent historical weakness of white liberalism given the demographics of this country. But whichever way we look at that history, what is not in any doubt is the gravity of the current situation for the DA. With Mmusi Maimane’s announcement that he is stepping down as leader after concluding the DA is no longer the path to his vision of One SA For All, it is clear that Helen Zille’s victory over Athol Trollip for the important post of DA federal council chair has worsened, rather than alleviated, the crisis...
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