Genevieve Quintal
Johannesburg – Mmusi Maimane plans to make a decision within the next 24 hours on whether he will stand for the position of Democratic Alliance leader.
“I have set myself a target. Within the next 24 hours we will make the final decision,” he told News24 on Friday.
Maimane said he still had one or two meetings to attend in Johannesburg on Friday.
“We are working to find out what’s the nature and the extent of the support.
“It’s still an internal election, it is not one you go into simply saying ‘oh well, we’ll stand’. It’s a matter of saying… will we be able to secure the support.”
The DA parliamentary leader said he had decided to give himself a week after current leader Helen Zille’s announcement that she was not going to stand for re-election at next month’s federal congress to be held in Port Elizabeth.
Support
Maimane seems to enjoy quite a bit of support within the party, with many saying he would be a capable leader, and it is speculated that he is the frontrunner for the job.
Other DA leaders considering standing for the job are federal chairperson Wilmot James, Gauteng party leader John Moodey and MP David Maynier. However, Maynier on Thursday said he would not stand if James made a definite decision to do so.
Maimane on Friday said he would communicate his decision once it was made, but there were things to consider.
“It’s not only implications on the DA. It’s got implications personally, it’s got implications businesswise, so I’ve got to make sure everybody is on board.”
If Maimane stands for the position and wins, he would still remain the DA’s leader in Parliament.
Nominations for leadership positions close on April 24.
