Mmusi Maimane has given up and on Thursday officially resigned as a member of the Democratic Alliance, as an MP and its parliamentary leader.
His announcement comes a day after he quit as leader of the official opposition party.
Maimane announced his resignation from all party structures on Twitter and the DA confirmed the move.
He resigned after four years at the helm of the DA, saying he was no longer convinced that it was the best vehicle for realising his vision of a united and reconciled South Africa.
In a double blow for the party, Athol Trollip also quit his post of federal chairman on Wednesday, while Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba resigned from his role after former party leader Helen Zille made a comeback as chairperson of the party’s federal council, the DA’s most influential position.
There have been rumblings for months about Maimane’s future in the DA following the party’s poor showing in the May national elections, where it lost 1.5% of its voter support.
Chairperson: Helen Zille Picture: Itumeleng English/ ANA
Meanwhile, ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte says Maimane’s resignation is not a significant matter for the ANC.
“If he chooses to resign, surely that is his choice. It has nothing to do with the ANC,” Duarte says.
“Once again, we wish him well. He is not a member of the ANC. It isn’t a significantly important matter to us.”
The departure of both Maimane and Trollip have left the DA without a leader, but in terms of its rules, the federal chairperson would step into the breach as party leader.
Zille said yesterday the DA was consulting lawyers on how to proceed to fill Maimane’s shoes until the party could formally elect a new leader.
As a result of Maimane stepping down as parliamentary leader, the DA’s well-liked chief whip, John Steenhuisen, has meanwhile given up his post as he has been appointed by Maimane to the parliamentary position.
Steenhuisen confirmed he was staying on as a “committed MP”.
He said the party’s federal council would meet within the coming days to elect an interim leadership, to steer the party towards an elective conference next year.
Zille said the date for the conference has provisionally been set down for April 2020.
In the meantime, the head of the DA’s parliamentary caucus, Annelie Lotriet, said she would serve as interim parliamentary leader until the caucus elected a new parliamentary leader.
Until such time, Jacques Julius would serve as interim chief whip of the party.