NATIONAL NEWS - Hot on the heels of Herman Mashaba’s dramatic exit from the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Johannesburg mayor’s office came confirmation from sources within the DA, who spoke on condition of anonymity, that the party’s leader, Mmusi Maimane would be following suit when he addresses the media later today in Johannesburg.

A press conference, which was scheduled for 1pm but has since moved to 3pm, will be held at the DA’s headquarters in Johannesburg. Speculation is rife that this delay was agreed to as part of a last-ditch effort to either change Maimane’s mind, or at least alter the terms of his departure.

While Mashaba attributed his exit to Helen Zille’s appointment as chair of the party’s federal council, as well as the party’s bullish approach to the province’s coalition government and in particular his decision to work with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Maimane’s tumultuous year and the various battles he has had to face within the party provide a long list of reasons that may have contributed to his decision.

It is believed that he will not be leaving the party alone, with other prominent DA leaders expected to follow him.

Members of the public and political analysts alike questioned Maimane’s presence at Mashaba’s address – at which the DA leader referred to the outgoing mayor as a “friend and hero” – and believe that it foreshadowed whatever announcement the politician is set to make today.

According to professor at the University of the North West Andre Duvenhage, the starting point for Maimane’s decision to step down was a meeting the party had a year ago where there was a strategic decision made by the FedEx to go the ANC way in terms of their political ideology and guiding political principles – thus abandoning the principles that they had come to be known for.

“He went into the election with that and the party suffered in the national elections and by-elections,” added Duvenhage.

“Since his leadership came into being after Helen Zille, factions within the party became more visible and arranged themselves according to racially ideological groups,” he explained, listing the party’s “black caucus” as an example.

The professor believes that a combination of factors contributed to the perception that Maimane under-performed as leader of the party and that the party’s reaction to this pushed him into a corner.

Read more on the Caxton publication, The Citizen