34 year old Mmusi Maimane has emerged as the first black leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s main opposition party after only joining the party in 2009. he became spokesperson for the party in 2011 and was known to regularly locked horns with the country’s President Jacob Zuma.
Mmusi succeeds outgoing leader, Helen Zille. The party hopes that this election would help to broaden the party’s appeal as it is perceived to be a primarily white South African party. He was elected at a party conference in Port Elizabeth as he faced party chairman, Wilmot James, for the position. The party recorded its best ever share of votes in the 2014 elections.
In his victory speech, he called on the party to unite.
“We are democrats guided by our values. It is our values that unite us and I want to tell you today, it is our values that will lead us to victory.”
Mmusi’s first task would come during the country’s 2016 local elections to take on the ANC. His predecessor had never made light of ANC’s hold on power since it has governed the country since the end of apartheid or believed that the party could threaten that hold.
Mr Maimane in his speech after his elction said; “No party has a divine right to rule this country.”
He will also have to fend off a challenge from the hard-left Economic Freedom Fighters party, which threatens the DA’s position as South Africa’s main opposition party. His election came on the heels of Ms. Zille’s announcement in April that she was stepping down. She had told reporters that she would continue to campaign for the party but she was relieved to no longer be a leader.
