By Zukile Majova
Political Editor
If anyone deserves a punch in the nose, it’s DA leader John Steenhuisen.
And, fresh from her fight with the ANC for the City of Joburg, Mpho Phalatse knows how to inflict a bloody nose.
Now the former Joburg Mayor is preparing to take on Steenhuisen for the DA top job.
But Dr Phalatse is picking the wrong fight.
How can one of the clear frontrunners in the race for the position of premier of Gauteng be wasting her energy fighting to be leader of the DA?
First, it’s a big title with no power or influence.
And second, it’s a fight she cannot win.
On Monday, when she announced her plans ahead of the elective congress in April, she had no backing from DA councillors in Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Mogale City; and just a few in the Johannesburg caucus.
Such a massive campaign with just two months to go would require a complete endorsement by the DA in her home province followed by lobbying of delegations from other provinces, where she is not well known.
Even if she were to pull it off, it’s a fight over a bone that has no meat. Everyone knows the real leader of the DA is Helen Zille, the chairperson of the DA Federal Council.
She runs the party; step on her toes and you are gone.
Phalatse is probably the most likeable, experienced and competent premier candidate for a coalition of opposition parties that could take over from the ANC in 2024.
All the facts point to the possibility of Gauteng being run by a coalition government after the 2024 national general election.
The ANC won the province by 50.09% in 2019 and received just 36.06% of the Gauteng vote during the November 2021 municipal elections.
During the same municipal elections, the DA got 28.7%, the EFF 11.89% and ActionSA 9.43%.
Gauteng voters are even more disappointed now with the ANC government, because of load shedding, the coalition governance mess in the metros and poor service delivery.
Phalatse has the negotiating skills, the patience and the experience that will be required to form a coalition government that could run the country’s economic hub.
She should invest in presenting herself as a candidate for premier, with a clear plan to exempt Gauteng from load shedding.
A dirty street fight with Steenhuisen is beneath her.
Please, please Dr Phalatse: save your energy. Run for Premier of Gauteng.
Pictured above: Mpho Phalatse
Source: @MphoPhalatse1
