EDITORIAL: Wake-up call for DA requires reflection, not petty fights
Party must decide what it wants to be
The DA is at a critical crossroad after losing support in the general election. The official opposition party will again be the second-largest party when the sixth parliament opens later in May and the ANC majority elects Cyril Ramaphosa as president. The party will, however, be five seats down from 89 five years ago. Given its punishment at the polls, it would be tempting to sharpen knives and launch a political coup from the inside as some in the DA may be baying for blood. This is, however, where those in the DA wanting to punish party leader Mmusi Maimane for the losses must think twice. The sobering losses in the election followed more than a year of turmoil in the party. The DA was involved in an ugly and protracted battle with former Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille, eventually ending in a settlement agreement that saw her resign. In another battle, senior party members and leaders openly took one another to task on the DA’s stance on black economic empowerment. Its ...
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