The Democratic Alliance (DA) will be electing an interim federal leader and interim federal chairperson later this month, with seven candidates having put themselves forward for the two positions.
The party is having to elect new leaders following the resignation of former leader Mmusi Maimane, and former federal chairperson Athol Trollip last month. Their departure was triggered by the DA’s poor performance in the May elections.
The three candidates for the interim federal leader are John Steenhuisen, the newly appointed parliamentary leader of the party; Makashule Gana, an MPL in Gauteng and a former leader of the DA Youth; and Bonginkosi Madikizela, the party’s Western Cape leader and MEC for transport and public works in that province.
For the interim federal chair position there are four candidates. They are Nomafrench Mbombo, MEC for health in the Western Cape; Ivan Meyer, another Western Cape MEC, for agriculture; Khume Ramulifho, another former DA Youth leader and an MPL in Gauteng; and Dharmesh Dhaya, a councillor in Buffalo City (East London).
Whoever is elected to these positions will serve in an interim capacity until next year’s DA federal congress, in April.