AT HOME AND ABROAD: A victorious Maimane could ease way to coalition politics
THE national congress of the Democratic Alliance (DA) this weekend, just a year before local government elections, is an event of national importance. Wilmot James is a wise and distinguished man, but I believe Mmusi Maimane, the DA’s dynamic young parliamentary leader, will emerge comfortably from the congress as the DA’s new leader. I believe, too, that he is the right person to seize the opportunities those elections are likely to present to change our sterile politics.There is a tendency to downplay the importance of local government elections, but local issues are what affect people’s lives most intimately. More important, our Constitution has established nine big metropolitan councils, where our main industries are located and which account for about 75% of our gross national income.They are the engines of our economy and they will be up for grabs at a time when our economy is in crisis. Whoever controls them will have a huge influence on SA’s future.The government can do litt...
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