Mpho Phalatse’s mission for DA top seat looks impossible

With the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) elective congress set to take place next weekend, the incumbent leader of the party is gearing up for re-election.

Although John Steenhuisen is the party leader and darling of members of the party, he is not immune from a contest for the top seat.

Former Joburg mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse has thrown her hat into the ring and is not shying away from her political ambitions.

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She is adamant that she has all it takes to take on the DA’s poster boy. But others don’t share her confidence.

Unlike Steenhuisen, Phalatse lacks political clout within the party.

She is only prominent in Joburg and DA structures throughout the rest of the country don’t have any idea who she is.

To make matters worse, many residents of Gauteng and the entire country don’t have any idea who she is, either.

This is a great danger to the party for if she were to win, she risks diminishing the party’s vote in the elections, especially the white vote.

But putting aside her lack of prominence, it seems unlikely that the DA will entrust her with the responsibility of national leadership after she dismally failed to represent the party in the Johannesburg metro.

As mayor of a DA-led coalition, she rendered the city ungovernable.

She failed to provide basic services to the city’s residents, ultimately costing the party the metro and her DA comrades their mayoral executive plush jobs.

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This disqualifies her because how can she expect to get a promotion after blundering in what she was entrusted with?

Her reputation in Joburg speaks for itself and unfortunately for her, it puts her two steps behind Steenhuisen.

The party has tried previously to elect black leaders such as Mmusi Maimane and Lindiwe Mazibuko, but those experiments have burned the party.

Both leaders left the party on unfavourable terms. And this is not what Phalatse would want.

She should look at Mbali Ntuli as an example. Ntuli previously contested against Steenhuisen and that didn’t end well for her.

The DA is just not ready for another black leader at its helm. And definitely the party’s boss Helen Zille would agree with this.

Steenhuisen has incredible support from the party and the party’s funders also have major confidence in him.

Moreover, the DA can’t risk deliberately emptying its coffers by electing Phalatse as its leader. She will cost the party its funders because she doesn’t inspire any confidence.

Without getting deep into next year’s elections, the party stands a better chance of maintaining its position of official opposition with Steenhuisen at the top rather than with Phalatse.

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Phalatse should just sit back and watch Steenhuisen get re-elected without humiliating herself. For, without a doubt, she will lose the contest.

And once she loses, she may quit the party. Unless she’s looking for an exit and no longer believes that the DA is a vehicle for change, then this would be an exit strategy for her.

And as for Lungile Phenyane, she should just take a back seat. No-one knows who she is and she’s just taking chances.

Mthembu is an independent commentator