Now former Democratic Alliance politician and leader Mbali Ntuli explained in detail her reasons for exiting both the party and the political stage. On Eusebius on TimesLIVE, which we also cross-post here on In The Ring, she painted a picture of a political culture that had taken root within the DA that is factionalist in nature, leading to the "weaponising" of party structures and processes, including disciplinary processes, for factional ends. While describing herself as being "emotional" about her shock announcement today, she intimated that plenty of thought and planning had gone into the decision.
Another reason for her decision to quit the DA was a general feeling of despair that South Africa's party political system is not delivering justice and equity for communities across the country. This, she shared with me, made her re-examine whether she herself is sufficiently grounded still within communities, despite being part of representative political structures and systems. She was alluding to a crisis within politics generally, and felt that pivoting towards community-based work in the immediate future, as she intends to do, is important for re-connecting with ordinary South Africans across the country. While not undermining the work of legislative bodies, she argues that it is "easy" to do committee work, for example, and to be disconnected from communities. She intends, however, to return to politics in the future because it is "in the blood" but has NO plans of presently joining another political vehicle.
Have a listen to our full conversation