Former Nelson Mandela Bay mayor and Democratic Alliance (DA) federal chairperson Athol Trollip has said he is the right person to bring stability to the party as he contests the position for federal council chairperson.

He is up against former DA leader Helen Zille, as well as Mike Waters and Thomas Walters, all of whom have been nominated to replace James Selfe as the current federal council chairperson.

The party will meet on October 18 to elect Selfe's successor.

Speaking exclusively to Polity, Trollip said his loyalty to the party is unquestioned, and where he has led, he did so with distinction.

The DA, he said, had benefitted from his leadership and he believes he can bring the same qualities to the contested position.

“I believe I represent the future for the DA. I have been a member of this party for a long time. I have held a number of positions across the party. I have never disappointed the party. I have never brought the party into disrepute.

“I have been very loyal even when I lost the nomination contest to Helen Zille herself and Lindiwe Mazibuko and others, I never turned my back on the party and I have never disgraced the party or even threatened litigation against the party,” Trollip said.

When asked about Zille’s return to politics, Trollip said she has had her time to come and go, adding that it did not make sense to step into the same river twice.

“I was a bit surprised seeing that Helen Zille had stepped down voluntarily as the leader of the party and when she had completed her term as a mayor and then two terms as Premier of the Western Cape, she took up another job at the Institute for Race Relations, so I was surprised, not shocked,” he clarified. 

CHALLENGES IN THE DA

Trollip admitted that one of the party’s challenges was message discipline.

“Internal discipline has also weakened in our party and I think that we need to do something about that. My biggest attribute is that I have a track record of building strong teams which should be in the interest of our party,” he explained.

When asked about his opinion on those who are blaming DA leader Mmusi Maimane for the party’s dismal performance at the recent polls, Trollip said that as much as Maimane was to blame, so to are all leaders who were involved in the elections.

“I was a member of Team One South Africa, as were all the other nine provincial leaders who were campaigning to be premiers. We must all take responsibility for our poor showing at the polls,” said Trollip.

HOW TO SAVE THE DA

Trollip said the biggest requirement was to save South Africa from the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

“In order to do that, we have to garner votes from all communities. We need to make sure that our offer is coherent and that no one contradicts that offer and that there is no confusion about what we stand for,” he said firmly.

He boasted that he has no doubt that there is no other party in the country that has done what the DA has done – which is to bring all South Africans together. 

“I believe that we are the best performing party in Parliament, legislatures and in municipalities across the country,” said Trollip.

PUBLIC SPATS

When asked to comment on the recent tweets by Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba which have suggested that he is not happy with certain issues in the DA, Trollip said Mashaba had reacted inappropriately in the media.

“I don’t think we should be name calling or race baiting to anyone. I think we need to sit around the table as DA leaders to discuss the issues and deal with them in a mature and transparent manner. I don’t think tit for tat on social media is a way for the DA to sort out its problems,” he said.

Trollip told Polity that if he wins the race for federal council chairperson, he would deal with the perception of factionalism in DA and added that he would unite the party.

“We need to re-establish unison in the party, that we all have a common purpose that drives us and that we wake up for in the morning, that would be my first objective,” he said.