DA set for shake-up as Mazibuko's star rises

Lindiwe Mazibuko's bid for election as the DA's parliamentary leader could, if successful, help the party to increase its support base among black voters

Mazibuko, 31, will reportedly challenge Athol Trollip, a party veteran 16 years her senior, for the top job when MPs vote for a new opposition leader on October 27.

Mazibuko, the party's head of communications, has not announced her candidacy, but newspaper reports at the weekend suggested that she has the support of the party's leader, Western Cape premier Helen Zille.

The pundits expect a close race if Mazibuko, a rising star in the party who shot to national prominence last year, does decide to stand.

Trollip, whose career as a liberal politician goes back to the Progressive Federal Party, is said to enjoy the backing of conservatives within the party.

Last night, Eye Witness News quoted political analyst Harald Pakendorf as saying the DA would boost its image if it chose Mazibuko as its parliamentary leader.

"It will obviously be a very important first for the DA and for Parliament. It would send a real message that if you're black, you have a chance of becoming a really important political leader [in the party]," he said. - Staff reporter