DA members could follow Maimane out the door - political analyst
Political analyst Ralph Mathekga believes there is a strong possibility that more senior members could leave the Democratic Alliance (DA) should Mmusi Maimane announce his resignation.
Maimane is set to brief the media on Wednesday afternoon amid intense speculation that he will step down as federal leader.
He was last seen in public, next to outgoing Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba when he announced his resignation from the party on Monday.
This came a day after Helen Zille was elected as chair of the party's federal council.
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The DA’s federal executive met behind closed doors on Wednesday to map the way forward for the embattled official opposition. A review panel - which looked at the DA’s poor performance at the polls earlier this year – reportedly found that the party is suffering from poor leadership under Maimane.
Mathekga says Maimane's resignation could spell disaster for the party.
"If too many leaders leave at the same time you are outright risking them getting together and forming a new party and forming an alternative to the DA.
"You really want to make sure that others do not follow suit. You want to try and arrest the situation to make sure that at least people can restrain themselves and not make any abrupt decision.
"If Mmusi the DA might plunge deeper into crisis"