LISTEN: Who will lead the DA? Phalatse, Steenhuisen face off at watershed congress
Former Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse and current leader John Steenhuisen speak about their race for federal leader position in what is undoubtedly a defining moment for the party's ambitions going into the 2024 national elections.
About 2 000 delegates have begun gathering at the Gallagher Convention Centre, in Midrand, where the party will elect its new leadership at the two-day congress that starts on Saturday, 1 April 2023.
The DA itself has described the weekend gathering as the largest, and most important, of its kind as sets the tone for the upcoming 2024 national government elections.
Delegates will also discuss constitutional amendments, the party's finances, organisational reports, and policy matters.
LISTEN: John Steenhuisen has banked on his message of continuity, after steering the party out of a disastrous 2019 performance at the polls.
Mpho Phalatse has put up a passionate fight to win the support of her party and the broader citizenry. Phalatse wants to do away with the notion of 'traditional' and 'non-traditional' areas to canvas for membership.
LISTEN: Mpho Phalatse focuses on diversity, flexibility in the coalition scenario, and places urgency on growing the DA
The party will, over this weekend, deliberate and vote on 43 resolutions covering the economy, job creation, urban and rural safety as well as the restoration of Parliament.
At a briefing to update media on their readiness to host the congress on Friday, congress spokesperson Werner Horn said draft resolutions aimed at growing the economy will be debated and voted on by congress. This includes the economic justice policy that was adopted at the DA policy conference.
LISTEN: Both Phalatse and Steenhuisen weigh in on BEE, the public sector wage bill, and the DA's alternative to how the ANC-led government has handled these burning issues.