South Africa’s opposition leader, Mmusi Maimane on Thursday gave up his seat in parliament on Thursday after resigning as the leader of the country’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance party, reported Reuters. He announced the decision through his official Twitter account.
“I have worked tirelessly to build the project of One SA for All. It’s been my greatest honour to serve the people of SA and will continue to do so. I have today resigned from the DA and Parliament,” read part of Maimane’s tweet.
He is the second high-profile black leader to quit this week. He cited difficulties in making the traditionally white liberal party appeal to majority black voters as the reason behind his move.
Maimane is expected to remain as parliamentary leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) until the end of the year, after which the party will hold an internal congress to elect his successor.
Maimane’s journey to broaden the DA’s appeal among the black majority has not been smooth as race and class remain highly divisive issues in South Africa, where the ruling African National Congress has been in power since 1994 and the end of white-minority apartheid rule.
“It is no secret that for decades the DA has been seen as a party for minorities only. The majority of South Africans, mainly black South Africans, did not relate to the DA and by extension struggle to trust the DA,” the DA leader said in his address to the media.
He added that his journey to transform the party was marred by a consistent and coordinated attempt to undermine his leadership, ensuring that he failed.
Maimane mentioned a group existing within the DA that do not see eye to eye with him and do not share this vision for the party and the direction it was going in.
DA Federal Chairperson Athol Trollip also resigned from his position and politics on Wednesday.
