Former Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille. Picture: SOWETAN
Former Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille. Picture: SOWETAN

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DEMOCRATIC Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille said on Monday the appointment of Mamphela Ramphele as the DA’s presidential candidate was a mistake, while Dr Ramphele said the partnership had "fallen victim to party politics".

Speaking at a DA media briefing in Johannesburg, Ms Zille said the DA needed to "cut its loses and move on". Dr Ramphele and Ms Zille on Sunday called off an arrangement for Dr Ramphele to stand as the DA’s presidential candidate in the upcoming general elections.

The quick fallout seemed clumsy for both the DA and Dr Ramphele’s Agang SA, coming just five days after making a public announcement that Dr Ramphele would be the face of the DA.

Ms Zille said in a statement that Dr Ramphele’s "reneging" from the commitment demonstrated that she could not be trusted to see any project through to conclusion.

Party politics

During a press briefing at Agang SA’s Braamfontein office on Monday, Dr Ramphele said that while she did not regret her decision to negotiate with the DA about "realigning opposition politics in South Africa", she regretted the effect the failed move, and the fallout which followed, had on both parties.

Dr Ramphele said her partnership with the DA had "fallen victim to party politics" and that she would now continue building Agang SA as an alternative to both the African National Congress (ANC) and the DA.

"Did we rush in to it? Yes, I am afraid so. Can opposition parties work together after the elections? Of course.... We continue to engage with opposition parties. We talk to COPE (Congress of the People), we talk to UDM (United Democratic Movement). And I have spoken to the people across the country. The people’s trust in me will not waiver," Dr Ramphele said.

Efforts to lure Dr Ramphele into the DA started as far back as 2010. But as Agang SA faced internal challenges, including salary payments, the talks resumed again last October.

‘Electoral nonsense’

Dr Ramphele, according to Ms Zille, preferred to remain the leader of Agang SA and lead the DA into the upcoming national elections.

"That was electoral nonsense," said Ms Zille. "You cannot have a leader of one party being a presidential candidate of another," she said.

She said last week’s announcement of Dr Ramphele’s candidacy was almost cancelled at the last minute because Dr Ramphele had insisted on a line saying: "In a new South African initiative I will remain a leader of Agang SA and be a DA presidential candidate".

She said this was legally not possible, and Dr Ramphele had to withdraw the line, failing which the DA was prepared to cancel the briefing.

She said cancelling the briefing would have resulted in "10 minutes embarrassment", but she would have been prepared to deal with it.

However, Ms Zille said, she ultimately managed to get Dr Ramphele to change her mind.

That was until the two leaders failed to reach a consensus on the way forward on Sunday.

‘Both parties showed unhappiness’

"Since the announcement last Tuesday, we have all been reminded that you have to listen to your members. Members within both parties have shown unhappiness at the announcement," Dr Ramphele said.

She said while the collapse of the agreement and the fallout that followed the collapse were unfortunate, she remained open to trying similar partnerships with the DA and other opposition parties to realign the landscape of South African politics.

Dr Ramphele said her party never stopped its preparations for the national elections and came out of the recent imbroglio stronger and more committed to providing a political home for South Africans from all walks of life.

Agang SA national field director Sam Njela said while there was robust debate in the party following last week’s announcement, the trust that the party had in Dr Ramphele did not change.

Rorisang Tshabalala of the Agang SA Youth Forum said Dr Ramphele listened to her members who did not want to join the DA and eventually did the right thing. Agang SA Gauteng chairman Andries Tlouamma said the DA dreamt of having a leader like Dr Ramphele.

Mr Tlouamma urged members to put Dr Ramphele in the Union Buildings at this year’s election and encouraged DA members to join Agang SA. Dr Ramphele, in veiled terms, implied that the agreement she assented to was different from the one that was announce last week in Cape Town.