/ 26 August 2005

‘Party of privilege’ becomes home – again

If Independent Democrats deputy leader Themba Sono reverts to the Democratic Alliance, as suspected, the latest colour-change by this political chameleon should surprise no one.

Sono is currently away in Australia on Gauteng legislature business and is expected back on Wednesday. The ID has postponed disciplinary hearings against him, indirectly premised on their suspicion that he will cross the floor from the ID to the Democratic Alliance during the floor-crossing period.

Sono left the DA in 2003 to join the ID because the former was ‘a white party for white privilege”. But in a few weeks, the same ‘party of privilege” could again be his not so new political home.

Remarkably, former Mpumalanga premier Matthews Phosa says that when he arrived at Turfloop University in the early 1970s, his heroes were former black consciousness movement leader Steve Biko — and Sono.

Sono was a symbol of a new black consciousness, which filled the void left by the banning of liberation movements.

But he was ousted as leader of the South African Students Organisation when he called for Saso to co-operate with homeland leaders in 1972. He then went to study overseas, returning an ardent proponent of liberalism.

Some say that the liberal pre-occupation with individual rights explains Sono’s highly individualistic style and his seeming inability to work within the discipline of an organisation.

Sono told The Sunday Times earlier this year that Patricia de Lille did not have the skills to take the ID to higher levels of support. ‘I am saying that if we are going to rescue this (party), I think she should step down,” he said.

He now faces charges of bringing the ID into disrepute — both for these comments and for refusing to pay a percentage of his salary to the party.

ID leader Patricia De Lille told the Mail & Guardian she had information that DA leader Tony Leon met Sono last week.