NEWS ANALYSIS: Will May elections be Maimane’s moment or his swansong?
The stakes are high as the DA leader contests his first national polls as head of the official opposition
Mmusi Maimane is contesting his first national elections as the leader of the official opposition, the DA, and the stakes could not be higher for the 38-year-old. Maimane has grown politically since his rise to the party’s top job in May 2015. He is seasoned, saying SA is in crisis. From his inaugural political contest as the party’s 2011 Johannesburg mayoral candidate to his current second term as leader, he has faced a gruelling local government election and the messy coalitions that followed — as well as unprecedented infighting in the party centered on its former Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille. De Lille has since formed the DA’s first splinter party, Good, which is also contesting the upcoming polls. While he was relatively new to the post in 2016, the DA’s performance was seen as a test of his leadership that on the surface he appeared to have passed with flying colours, given the party’s snatching of three key metros from the ANC — Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay and the big pr...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.