The DA and South Africa's intractable problem of race

When Helen Zille succeeded Tony Leon as leader of the country's official opposition, she did so with one task in mind: To grow the party among black voters and to establish the DA as a party of government.

The party was a stellar performer between 2007 and 2018 and grew exponentially outside of its beachhead of Cape Town, which it won in 2006.

It subsequently claimed the Western Cape provincial government, a municipality in Gauteng and the mayoralties of Nelson Mandela Bay, Johannesburg and Tshwane. And it was one of the prime movers that effectively used the courts to check the excesses of the disastrous Zuma years.

Zille has always known that, for the DA to challenge the ANC hegemony, her party would have to become attractive to the black voters' market, and that its leadership needs to become more diverse. But Zille, and her kitchen cabinet, were not about to abandon their core beliefs and principles, which included a commitment to a doctrine of non-racialism.

A succession of black leaders in the party came and went, starting with Lindiwe Mazibuko and ending with Mmusi Maimane, who both argued that race must play a role in correcting past injustice.

Last weekend, the DA finally adopted its policies which put non-racialism at the centre, with the party agreeing that race should not be a proxy for disadvantage.

It has led to a barrage of criticism, and the DA responding in kind to its detractors.

In this week's Friday Briefing, News24's political editor Qaanitah Hunter registers her disappointment with the DA's policy decisions, writing that she wanted to give the party a chance – but alas.

The DA's policy chief, Gwen Ngwenya, in a WhatsApp exchange with me after she agreed to state her party's side of the story, lamented the fact that the DA's redress policy has been so badly misconstrued. "It's been a week of, honestly, not very accurate coverage," she said. Hers is one of the must-reads.

And John Moody, who resigned as Gauteng DA leader amid serious accusations of misconduct, takes the party to task and warns of a bleak electoral future.

Analyst Daniel Silke also weighs in and asks whether the DA can survive its own policies.

It's a heavy read – but if you want insight into the country's most important opposition party (sorry, Julius Malema), read all of it.

Stay safe!

Pieter du Toit

Assistant Editor

I tried to give the DA the benefit of the doubt

Qaanitah Hunter examines what it means when the DA says it has rejected race as a criteria for redress.

Demystifying the DA's economic policy and why it should be giving newspapers advice

While race matters to many people, it is not reason alone to argue it should form the basis of policy, writes Gwen Ngwenya. 

Why the DA chose non-racialism over multiracialism

The DA's embracing of non-racialism will be seen as one of the definitive acts of political courage of our generation, writes Leon Schreiber.

The path the DA has chosen to take with its race policy will bode well for the ANC and far-left parties, writes John Moodey, until recently the DA's Gauteng provincial leader.

Swimming upstream: Will the DA survive its policy outcomes?

The DA will need to present a message that redirects the current powerful narrative that it wishes to perpetuate sectional interests if it is going to keep voters, writes Daniel Silke.