Former DA MPs Ntuli and Van Damme throw shade at Mazzone's 'demotion'

Fomer DA MPs Mbali Ntuli and Phumzile van Damme have criticised Natasha Mazzone's “demotion” as the party's chief whip.

Mazzone will represent the DA on the joint standing committee on intelligence, with specific focus on overhauling the state security apparatus's oversight model. She will also serve as national security adviser to party leader John Steenhuisen. 

Siviwe Gwarube is the new DA chief whip in the National Assembly.

Reacting to the news, Ntuli, who left the party earlier this year, congratulated Gwarube, while throwing shade at the new roles assigned to Mazzone. 

“Congratulations to Siviwe Gwarube kodwa [but] national security adviser is not a real thing to opposition leader in our context, but whatever needs to be done I suppose,” she said.

Van Damme also questioned Mazzone's new role and joked there was no-one was better equipped to oversee security.

Speaking to News24, Mazzone said her new role was not a demotion, adding: “Haters are going to hate.” 

Reacting to the well-wishes, Gwarube said she took her appointment seriously.

“Thank you all for the well-wishes. It’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly. South Africans are jobless and many are crippled by poverty. Parliament can’t be detached. It must be the centre of the people’s business.

"My predecessors started the work, now to continue,” she said. 

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