Mpho Phalatse launches bid to become next DA leader
Former Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse has announced her intention to enter the race to become the next leader of the DA.
Phalatse briefed the media at the Hector Pieterson Memorial in Soweto on Monday.
She will take on incumbent John Steenhuisen at the official opposition party’s federal congress in April.
Phalatse's announcement comes a few days after her ousting as Johannesburg mayor during a no-confidence vote.
She said the DA is in need of a dynamic leader who is familiar with the concept of servant leadership.
“I also believe that my many years of experience as a technocrat in government and as a politician have sufficiently prepared me for the position of DA federal leader. Leading a huge multiparty coalition government in the City of Johannesburg, which is the economic hub of the country and continent, is not something to be taken lightly. In fact, I am the only candidate for this position who has had this rewarding experience.”
Phalatse said the DA remains the only party with viable alternatives to the current ANC’s policies.
“We, in the DA, however, need a relatable and dependable leadership that can win back the trust of the electorate and lead our party to a decisive victory in the upcoming 2024 general election, which is only a few months away.
That victory will only be possible if the DA repositions itself as a party the majority of South Africans can relate to. I believe a re-calibrated DA under a different leadership – a DA that is engaged and in touch with the plight of the ordinary people – can serve as that political home for all South Africans.”
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