Mmusi Maimane was elected as the new Democratic Alliance leader at the party’s elective congress on the weekend. Already, Maimane has had to do some damage control, after veteran journalist Allister Sparks referred to architect of apartheid Henrik Verwoerd as a “smart†politician during a speech at the congress.
To be fair, Maimane did a much better job of this than former DA leader Helen Zille had. He firmly stated that: “Verwoerd’s very policies were deplorable … and evil.†Zille, meanwhile, had resorted to that old politician’s tactic: claiming that Sparks’ comments had been taken out of context.
As freelance journalist Mandy de Waal (Ed’s note: De Waal is an occasional contributor to The Daily Vox) noted on Facebook: “And so it begins. Mmusi Maimane’s first job as leader of the DA is to clean up the shit created by a white man. Ironic.â€
Maimane, are you really sure you want the job you’ve just been elected to?
