Moodey's departure a great loss for DA - analyst
Political analyst Levy Ndou says the departure of John Moodey from the Democratic Alliance (DA) is a great loss to the party.
Moodey, who was the party’s leader in Gauteng and a federal leadership candidate, announced his resignation from the DA on Wednesday.
Like other high-profile members who have left the official opposition, including former federal chairperson Athol Trollip, former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba and former party leader Mmusi Maimane, the direction of the party was slammed by Moodey.
Ndou believes the time has come for the DA to discuss its ideology and to fix the party’s identity issues.
"It is time for the DA to sit down and have a serious ideological discussion. What I see lacking is not only leadership but an ideological discussion.
“You always get leaders of the DA speaking in different tongues like they don't represent one party. The message that Hellen Zille and Mmusi Maimane were preaching are different messages. The DA needs to provide a framework for followers to understand what their party is all about and that is an identity issue that they have to fix.”
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He adds that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Moodey join Mashaba's new political party.
"It is possible that those people that are frustrated by Hellen Zille might be able to organise themselves outside the DA and challenge it.
“And if he decides to join Herman it is going to be a major boost because it will be an indication that the faction that has been dissatisfied withing the DA is now getting reorganised and will be a header to the leadership of the DA.”
Ndou warns the loss of high-profile members has the potential to affect the party’s performance in the next year’s local government elections.
"The loss of Herman Mashaba, Mmusi Maimane and now John Moodey has the potential to create an impression that things aren't well within the DA and also affect those who saw it as an alternative.
“This is a real problem, they need to fix it if they are to garner support in the next coming elections."
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Gauteng DA leader John Moodey resigns from party
Moodey, who was the party's leader in Gauteng and a federal leadership candidate, made the announcement at a press conference on Wednesday. He joined the party back in 1998 and has been a member of the Gauteng legislature since 2004.
