'DA is captured by a certain faction and I won't go back': Lindiwe Mazibuko

Former DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko says her days in the DA are long gone and she would not go back to the party if attempts were made to recruit her.

Mazibuko resigned from the DA in 2014, saying she was going to Harvard University in the US to “broaden her prospects”. 

At the time, she said her resignation had nothing to do with the differences between her and then party leader Helen Zille.

Mazibuko suggested she might return to the DA in the future, Sunday Times reported.

However, while speaking during an interview about her non-profit organisation Apolitical Academy, Mazibuko told eNCA that the “DA was captured by a certain faction”. 

She said the departure of black leaders such as former DA leader Mmusi Maimane and former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba was a result of the party not being able to accommodate diverse voices.

“It is quite clear that there's quite an exodus of some of the most talented people in that organisation. It is captured by a certain faction.

“I think there is a challenge in opposition where there are dominant factions who challenge for power and leadership. My view is that the opposition is in crisis to challenge the status quo,” Mazibuko said.

Mazibuko also said political parties that do not have a thriving internal democratic culture can't aspire to govern democratically.

A recent exit from the party came from Johannesburg DA caucus leader Funzela Ngobeni, who resigned on Monday to join Mashaba’s new party, the People's Dialogue.

Ngobeni was joined by the DA’s former CEO, Paul Boughey, who also handed in his resignation.

TimesLIVE reported that in his resignation letter to the party, Ngobeni said: “I have no intention of dwelling on too much negativity, as I know many of you are already battling to come to terms with the trajectory the party has taken lately.

“Suffice to say I have taken the decision to join Herman Mashaba's efforts, effective tomorrow, to build a new political alternative in South Africa which will put the people of our country at the centre of its efforts.”