Helen Zille in; Herman Mashaba bows out

(Bloomberg) – Herman Mashaba said he will quit as mayor of Johannesburg, a major blow to the main opposition party that rules South Africa’s economic hub and has been battling to quell infighting within its ranks.

The Democratic Alliance appears determined to collapse a cooperation agreement it concluded with the Economic Freedom Fighters, the third-biggest party, to rule the city – a serious misstep ahead of municipal elections in 2021, Mashaba told reporters on Monday. He also criticised the party’s decision to elect its former leader Helen Zille as its chairwoman, saying the move bolstered a faction in the party whose values he did not share.