The Democratic Alliance’s provincial leader, Athol Trollip, said he would not contest the position at the next elective congress of the party in February 2017.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro mayor announced his intentions at a recent meeting.
Trollip told the Daily Dispatch that he had vowed at the last congress that if he were elected Nelson Mandela Bay Metro mayor he would step down as the provincial leader.
“I’m a man of my word. I would have been the provincial leader for 15 years, that’s long enough,” he said.
Trollip first became the party’s provincial leader in 2002 after winning the congress by 16 votes.
At the last provincial congress, held in 2014 in the Kouga Local Municipality, Trollip retained his position as DA Eastern Cape leader for the third time uncontested.
The party expects over 500 delegates to attend the next congress, which will be held in East London in February next year.
Provincial chairwoman Veliswa Mvenya said the Eastern Cape would be up for the taking in the next national elections and the DA needed to be ready for when that time came.
“The Eastern Cape will be a highly competitive battleground in 2019, and we need to have strong leaders within our structures to take us on that path,” said Mvenya.
Trollip said he would concentrate on his duties as mayor and as DA federal chairperson. “I intend to deliver on our local government manifesto and be the best mayor I can be by stopping corruption, growing our economy to create much needed jobs and providing world-class services to all the people of NMB.” — simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
Trollip to make way for new provincial leader
The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro mayor announced his intentions at a recent meeting.
Trollip told the Daily Dispatch that he had vowed at the last congress that if he were elected Nelson Mandela Bay Metro mayor he would step down as the provincial leader.
“I’m a man of my word. I would have been the provincial leader for 15 years, that’s long enough,” he said.
Trollip first became the party’s provincial leader in 2002 after winning the congress by 16 votes.
At the last provincial congress, held in 2014 in the Kouga Local Municipality, Trollip retained his position as DA Eastern Cape leader for the third time uncontested.
The party expects over 500 delegates to attend the next congress, which will be held in East London in February next year.
Provincial chairwoman Veliswa Mvenya said the Eastern Cape would be up for the taking in the next national elections and the DA needed to be ready for when that time came.
“The Eastern Cape will be a highly competitive battleground in 2019, and we need to have strong leaders within our structures to take us on that path,” said Mvenya.
Trollip said he would concentrate on his duties as mayor and as DA federal chairperson. “I intend to deliver on our local government manifesto and be the best mayor I can be by stopping corruption, growing our economy to create much needed jobs and providing world-class services to all the people of NMB.” — simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
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