The provisional Gauteng province list for South Africa’s official opposition Democratic Alliance has placed front-benchers in the National Assembly, including shadow finance minister Raenette Taljaard, too low to be re-elected at the next election.
The list puts DA leader Tony Leon — as required by party rules — at the top of the list, and Gauteng leader Ian Davidson at number two. But Taljaard, who has just spent four months in the United States on a study scholarship, has been placed at position number 32 — way off an electable position.
Former Houghton MP and veteran liberal politician Helen Suzman described the displacement of Taljaard — understood to be the result of her absence from ”constituency work” in Gauteng — as ”crazy”.
Suzman, who provided a letter of support for Taljaard to the electoral college held on the weekend of January 17 and 18, said Taljaard is ”one of our most valuable members, she has proved it in her performance”.
Thirty-year-old Taljaard, the youngest MP elected in 1999, quickly made the news as the party’s public enterprises spokesperson before being seconded by Leon to the standing committee on public accounts. After leading the party’s campaign against the arms deal, she became shadow finance minister. Taljaard declined to comment on the list, referring queries to Davidson.
Suzman, who was in Parliament for 36 years and is a close friend of Taljaard, said: ”It will be a tragedy if she were lost to the team. She did great work on the arms issue.”
Standing committee on public accounts member Nigel Bruce, a former editor of Financial Mail who was brought into the party in 1999 by Leon, finds himself in position number 36 — a position that makes him also unelectable.
In what was described by one senior party member — but not a party representative — as ”a fall-out by the old Progs [members of the DA’s forerunner Progressive Federal Party]”, Davidson’s close friends have done well, including former Bedfordview mayor Janet Semple and current chief whip Douglas Gibson, who is number five. But the rest have not done well.
Another party stalwart, Mike Waters, who won a key municipal by-election in the former National Party territory of Kempton Park before coming to Parliament in 1999, is also in a position unlikely to be elected again — at number 17. He has been the party’s HIV/Aids spokesperson.
Another liberal stalwart, Vincent Gore at 29th place, is unelectable. Gore is the party’s spokesperson for the disabled.
A cursory reading of the list indicates that former New National Party MPs have fared well. Sheila Camerer, who defected to the DA early last year, is at number 11. Another former National Party MP, Sakkie Blanche, known to be an arch-conservative and who became a Federal Alliance MP in 1999 led by Louis Luyt, is at number 10.
In 1999 the DA gained 15 seats in the National Assembly and party insiders say that they are expecting to raise this to about 23 of the 50 representatives from Gauteng in the next election — expected in March or April.
Asked about the list, Davidson noted that changes could still be made. Leon has the discretion to fill positions number three, seven, 14 and 21. His hand now appears forced to place the liberals in electable positions.
One party source said that the old liberals have been ”decimated”.
”Apart from Leon and Gibson there are none left,” the source said. There is also a smattering of black representatives in the list.
The first 23 candidates are: Tony Leon (leader and a sitting MP), Ian Davidson (a sitting MP), position three is vacant, Janet Semple (a sitting MP), Douglas Gibson, Leslie Labuschagne, number seven is vacant, Dan Maluleke (the first African black on the list and sitting MP), Mannie van Dyk, Sakkie Blanche (sitting MP), Sheila Camerer (sitting MP and NNP defector), Butch Steyn, Hendrik Schmidt (a sitting MP), number 14 is vacant, Karel Minne, George Boinamo, Mike Waters (a sitting MP), Anchen Dreyer (a member of the provincial legislature), Tema Mahlase, Mannetjies Grobler (a sitting MP), position 21 is vacant, Richard Ntuli (a sitting MP) and Solani Gudluza.
Others who are in unelectable positions are provincial MPL Kate Prinsloo; Leon’s media adviser, James Lorimer; provincial MP Shelley Loe, who plays a key role in organising the party’s by-election campaigns; and Wikus Theron, a sitting MP and the party’s current public enterprises shadow minister.
Gibson said that he was happy with his position on the list, but because the final list was only to be announced on February 14 — at the party’s candidate launch in Durban — he could not comment on the provisional list. — I-Net Bridge