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Maimane resigns as DA leader/Trollip as DA Federal Chair


Mmusi Maimane resigned as leader of the official opposition Democratic Alliance on Wednesday, citing a sustained campaign to undermine his vision of a united, non-racial South Africa.

"I will today step down as leader of the DA," he told a press conference in Johannesburg.

Maimane said he had wrestled with the decision for days and would remain the party's parliamentary leader. However, he added, he would urge the DA to call a national conference and elect new leaders early in the new year.

His resignation follows that of Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba, who stepped down on Monday in protest at the return of former party leader Helen Zille to active politics as the chairwoman of the DA's federal council.

Nelson Mandela Bay caucus leader Athol Trollip, in accepting responsibility for his leadership role in the party's failures, also stepped aside as party chairperson on Wednesday afternoon. 

"I realised this weekend that it was my time to go," he said. "I'm not going to stand here and slag off the DA but I believe that new leadership will take us forward. The DA is not a party in denial and we will learn from our lessons."

In his speech Maimane did not spare Zille, who stood behind him as he announced his resignation. 

He said they had clashed on issues, in particular her controversial comments of colonialism, but that the mutual respect between them had endured. 

His decision to step down was informed by a campaign by a faction within the party who opposed his political vision and endangered his family by ensuring that photos of their home were splashed in the Afrikaans press, he said.

- African News Agency (ANA)