THE race to lead the DA in KwaZulu-Natal has begun, as a member of the House of Provinces Council in Parliament, Mr. Mzamo Billy, has announced that he will enter the race to lead the party in the province.
The DA will hold a conference to elect the provincial leadership next month and members have already started putting forward the names of the people they want to run for office. Yesterday, Billy announced that he accepted the nomination of his name to enter the race to lead the province. He said this in a text posted on social media.
“It is a pleasure to inform you that I have agreed for my name to be nominated in the race to lead the DA in KwaZulu-Natal. The nomination of my name happened at a crucial time. It is turning into another jaw here in the province as we see an increase in joint management in government bodies. The DA should not be left behind.”
Billy said his campaign will focus on three points.
“I want to grow the DA to reach areas where it is not. I want KwaZulu-Natal to be united, this will be done by creating unity in the party’s structures. I want the DA to be the one that governs in the future, the DA should be a party that people will trust that it can govern.”
He said he will travel to different places in the province where he will be talking to delegates going to the conference.
Billy was a councilor in Durban Municipality before he went to Parliament. It is not yet clear how many will enter the race to lead the DA in the province.
The name that appears in the dispute is that of the deputy leader of the DA in the province, Mr. Sithembiso Ngema. Ngema has not yet publicly announced whether he will enter the race. The current leader, Mr. Francois Rodgers, has announced that he is stepping down.
Meanwhile: The DA will elect its national leadership at a conference this weekend. It is expected that the Mayor of Cape Town, Mr Geordin Gwyn Hill-Lewis, has defied the odds in the race to lead the DA.
Hill-Lewis will challenge Sedibeng Municipality councillor, Mr Sibusiso Dyonase. The current incumbent, Mr. John Steenhuisen, withdrew from the race for office.