The issue was addressed at a briefing on Monday following the party’s first-ever policy conference over the weekend.
FILE: Democratic Alliance Federal Council chair Helen Zille. Picture: Sethembiso Zulu/EWN.
CAPE TOWN – The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday dismissed accusations that it was purging black leaders.
The issue was addressed at a briefing following the party’s first-ever policy conference over the weekend.
DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille said that charging certain party members had nothing to do with their skin colour.
The DA has been accused of targeting black leaders ever since Mmusi Maimane resigned from the party in 2019.
Last week, its Gauteng leader John Moodey tendered his resignation, saying that he did not agree with the direction that the DA was taking.
But Zille dismissed the assertion that black leaders were being targeted.
“We have many black leaders in the DA and when a white person is charged with anything we don’t talk about a purge, an exodus, or anything. We have fair and due process and that applies to everybody,” Zille said.
DA head of policy Gwen Ngwenya also emphasised the party’s economic policy adopted at the weekend. She said that the party was willing to lose votes for its stance on economic policy.
“This question about is it worth losing votes for the sake of principle, for example, if it was a policy on the death penalty? Of course it’s absolutely worth losing votes on the basis of principle,” she said.
The DA is expected to converge again in October for its federal congress to elect new leadership.
