Leader of South Africa’s biggest opposition party resigns

ZTN Correspondent

The leader of South Africa’s biggest opposition party has resigned from his party and parliament, saying a faction of the party undermined his leadership.

Mmusi Maimane stepped down as the leader of the Democratic Alliance on Wednesday, citing difficulties making the traditionally white liberal party appeal to majority black voters.

“Over the past months, it has become quite clear to me that there exists a grouping within the DA who do not see eye to eye with me, and do not share this vision (making the DA appeal to black voters) for the party and the direction it was taking,” Maimane said in a statement.

“There has been for several months a consistent and coordinated attempt to undermine my leadership and ensure that either this project failed, or I failed,” he added.

The resignation of the Soweto-born politician comes just three days after that of Herman Mashaba from the party and as Mayor of Johannesburg.

Maimane was elected as the leader of the DA in 2015, making him the first black person to head the party.

In a tweet on Thursday, Maimane said he would continue pursuing his dream for South Africa, but did not disclose what his next political steps would be.