Helen Zille wins vote for top DA job

Helen Zille on Sunday won a key vote for the position of DA federal council chair.
Helen Zille on Sunday won a key vote for the position of DA federal council chair.
Image: DONNA WATSON

Former DA leader Helen Zille has successfully made a spectacular return to the higher echelons of the party after she was voted the Federal Council chairperson of the party on Sunday.

The position is the second most powerful in the party following that of Federal leader Mmusi Maimane.

Zille, who entered the race to replace James Selfe early this month, successfully beat Athol Trollip, Thomas Walters and Mike Waters who were also vying for the position.

Her win could spell trouble for Maimane who has made it clear that her win would most likely take the DA backwards undoing all the non-racialism rationale that he has been pushing in the party since 2015.

During her month-long campaigning, Zille has maintained that the DA has not been doing well since the local government elections in 2016 but tried to dispel the notion that she would go after Maimane.

She said: “I will prioritise supporting the leadership and getting the systems, structures and processes working well together.

“We made excellent progress up to the 2016 local elections. We have had a rocky road since then”​.

This is a developing story.  

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