Joining the former Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba and former party leader Mmusi Maimane on the list of people to leave the official opposition, federal leadership candidate John Moodey has announced that he is resigning from the party.

Moodey’s resignation from the party means that he has subsequently pulled out of the DA’s leadership race.

Addressing the media from his home on Tuesday Moodey said that he was leaving the DA because it was not the party he joined 22 years ago.

News24 reports that Moody took exception to the party’s silence on Helen Zille’s controversial tweets about race.

“I have regrettably and after much soul searching reached the point where I am unable to defend these insensitive utterances and statements.

The party’s lack of principle in failing to appropriately deal with redress in this most unequal society.”