Supporters of DA parliamentary leader, Lindiwe Mazibuko, have hit back to defend her.
|||Cape Town - Supporters of DA parliamentary leader, Lindiwe Mazibuko, have hit back to defend her, saying Parliament under her leadership has never been more relevant, despite the party’s recent flip-flop over its support for the Employment Equity Bill.
This emerged this week, as the factional battles for the soul of the DA hit a crescendo ahead of the party’s policy conference due to take place in Cape Town next weekend.
Last week, party leader Helen Zille apologised for the party’s support for the bill and Mazibuko reshuffled her cabinet, moving trade and industry spokesman Sej Motau to economic development.
Yesterday, DA MP Tim Harris defended Mazibuko’s track record in Parliament, downplaying the blunder over the party’s support for the bill.
“We made a mistake on a particular bill… but it was a very mature and constructive discussion in caucus,” he said, adding that the decision to vote for the bill was made with consensus from “99 percent” of MPs.
“We support properly broad-based redress,” he said.
He said Mazibuko was currently overhauling the party’s systems in Parliament so there would be no similar mistakes.
“It’s the strongest group of MPs we’ve ever had. We have almost completed the process of overhauling all our policies and they are innovative and fresh,” he said, responding to criticism that its MPs are weak.
“You can’t write off Lindiwe’s entire legacy because of one mistake.”
Zille said yesterday that next Saturday’s policy conference would provide “policy certainty”.
“Wilmot James is drawing up the agenda in his capacity as the National Chairperson,” she said.
The DA leader said that the party had for at least 10 years supported broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE).
“Our slogan is ‘We support BBBEE that creates jobs, not a few billionaires’. That was and remains our position,” she said.
On the issue of stepping down as party leader, she said the next party congress would be in 2015 and if it decided “someone else should take my place then, they will replace me”.
She declined to respond to criticism by former DA leaders and insiders that the quality of DA MPs had declined, asking what “yardstick was used” to make those comments.
Zille said the party was not struggling to strike a balance between attracting black voters and maintaining its traditional support.
Of her relationship with Mazibuko, Zille said: “We are a team and our relationship is sound.”
Meanwhile DA MP Masizole Mnqasela told Weekend Argus the party was at “a crossroads” and would have to use its coming policy conference to give policy certainty.
“As an organisation we are at a crossroads. We have got to be clear about where we stand. We want the majority of black people to sing our songs without doubt,” Mnqasela said.
“There is nothing that should confuse us when we are talking about redress,” he added. - Sunday Argus