Jaspreet Kindra
“Anything can still happen,” said black Democratic Alliance members on Saturday, intent on electing a black leader of the party. They were pinning their hopes on national chairperson Joe Seremane.
But once inside the Nasrec exhibition hall, where delegates gathered for the leadership vote, Seremane proposed Tony Leon for the position. There were no challengers. Leon’s nomination was seconded and unanimously approved.
Back in the open air, the Seremane backers maintained: “Leon is the best we’ve got.”
Why did Seremane not make the grade at the DA’s launch conference at the weekend? He has impeccable political credentials and his leadership would lessen the party’s vulnerability to the race card.
The former Pan Africanist Congress member spent six years on Robben Island. He became chief land claims commissioner after the 1994 election; earlier, he had headed the justice department of the South African Council of Churches.
He was in the limelight some years ago when he attempted to uncover the truth about his brother Timothy’s death in the African National Congress’s Quatro detention camp in Angola. The death, and the ANC’s handling of it, seem to have been key influences in pushing him towards the official opposition.
Insiders say he lacks Leon’s high profile. In his late 50s, he is widely liked and respected, but is seen to lack the “iron and teeth” to lead a party in South Africa.
Sources described pre-conference speculation that he might challenge Leon as “a media foofy”.
“Leon still enjoys the party’s confidence,” said one source. “Joe’s comfortable with his position, and I don’t think he wants to lead.”
Seremane says: “The overwhelming voice was that I stand. Maybe there will be a time when the membership will say: ‘Joe Seremane or anyone else should be the leader.’ But then merit will be the determining factor.”
Seremane also questioned the importance of race in determining a political party’s leadership.
“Whether you have a white president or a black president, what does it matter? There are people who only want to dwell on race because it is easiest to mobilise people around race and tribalism. They label people to ensure they are sidelined.”
The conference may have opted to stay with white leadership, but went to some lengths to break down racial barriers in other ways.
Traditional musicians from KwaZulu-Natal entertained delegates on the first day. Leon came marching in to kwaito musician Mandoza’s hit Nkalakatha and delighted the predominantly Afrikaans-speaking coloured delegation from the Western Cape by quoting from the Bible.
On the final day, kwaito was replaced by rock music, and messages urging delegates to buy cheese and wine at a kiosk near the entrance were voiced over the public address system.
The conference gave a clear indication of the balance of regional power in the party. The dominance of the Western Cape has been a source of some disgruntlement, particularly in Gauteng, which saw it as the motivating force in the merger with the New National Party.
The Western Cape delegation, out in full force, managed to elect two of its candidates controversial Cape Town mayor Gerald Morkel and former education MEC Helen Zille to two of the three positions of deputy chairperson.
Leon had earlier said there would be “no cabals, no cliques” and that the people would determine the leadership of the party. “Clearly the man who ensures his supporters turn up in large numbers wins,” remarked a senior member.
The third position went to DA MP Dan Maluleke.
Contrary to reports of an expected altercation, the DA unanimously supported the need for legislation to allow elected leaders in the local, provincial and national offices to defect to other parties.
The DA spokesperson on justice, Tertius Delport, who led a fringe meeting on the issue, said there were robust debates about whether politicians should follow their conscience or take a principled position that the seat belongs to the party.
“But what happens when politicians realise that the party no longer enjoys the support of the people? Then he must make a political and practical decision to leave.”
However, he said, the DA does not support the current legislation, which provides twice-yearly windows of opportunity for floor- crossing. “We believe it can cause instability. We will support a once-off crossing in the mid-term period.”
With the New National Party now out of the equation, the DA constitution a major bone of contention between the Democratic Party and its former NNP partner was also approved.
The Nats had argued for representation in the DA’s federal council in line with branch numbers, while the DP component believed it should be based on votes garnered in the last election.
While Morkel’s alleged relationship with German businessman Jurgen Harksen did not surface at the conference, the party’s federal council deliberated on the matter and issued a rather strange statement. It said while the council believed there was no illegal or corrupt conduct in the acceptance of the donation, the relationship with Harksen was “inappropriate”. Later Leon, in an interview with the SABC’s Newshour, said the party was conducting an investigation but he would not commit himself on when it would report back on its findings.