/ 20 April 2007

Seremane draws top spot on DA ballot papers

A draw to determine the order in which candidates’ names will appear on the ballot for a new Democratic Alliance (DA) leader was held at the party’s parliamentary offices in Cape Town on Friday.

Top spot was won by DA federal chairperson Joe Seremane.

The election is set to take place during the DA’s federal congress. Incumbent Tony Leon announced last year he planned to step down as party leader at the event, to be held on May 5 and 6 in Gauteng.

Three candidates are vying for the leadership position: Seremane, the party’s Eastern Cape leader Athol Trollip and Cape Town DA mayor Helen Zille. Their names will now appear on the ballot papers in that order.

The draw was overseen by the DA’s national auditor, Brian van der Griyp.

DA executive national director Greg Krumbock told journalists that voting for a new DA leader — by the 1 145 delegates at the congress — would take place on Sunday May 6 between 7am and 9.30am.

Results could be out as early as 10.30am.

”We’re hoping to get results within an hour,” he said.

None of the leadership candidates were present at the draw.

Delegates will also vote for a federal chairperson and a deputy. There is a single candidate for the first position, Joe Seremane, and eight candidates for the second.

They are, in the order in which their names will appear on the ballot papers: Mike Bond, Anton Bredell, Anchen Dreyer, Sandy Kalyan, Donald Lee, John Steenhuisen, Marius Swart and Jack Bloom. — Sapa