KZN DA’s Francois Rodgers acknowledges Mbali Ntuli’s resignation from party
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal has acknowledged Mbali Ntuli’s resignation from representing both the organisation in the legislature and the party.
Ntuli made the announcement on Thursday morning.
She said she was taking a break from formal politics and would be working on uplifting communities.
She’s been a member of the country’s main opposition since her teens, spending close to 15 years serving across different structures in KZN.
Ntuli is the latest black leader to bow out of the party – following a string of others over the years, including former federal leader Mmusi Maimane and former parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko.
In December 2021, Bongani Baloyi, who was the Midvaal mayor, resigned and then announced he was joining another former DA mayor Herman Mashaba’s new political outfit ActionSA.
DA KZN leader Francois Rodgers said: “Mbali had indicated to me a while ago that she was looking at new opportunities in her life. So, we have to respect it and accept her resignation and thank her for her contribution in the various leadership roles she has played in the party.”
WALKING AWAY FROM ‘HOME’
Ntuli on Thursday walked away from a party she called home for close to 15 years and a career she built from the ground up – growing its support base across traditionally non-DA areas in KwaZulu-Natal.
“Change is good. It provides an opportunity for reflection and renewal. It is in that spirit that I, today, inform you that I have formally tendered my resignation as a member of the Democratic Alliance and member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature. My decision to do so was not one I came to lightly but one that is necessary for my growth as a community leader,” she said in a statement.
“To my colleagues, I want to sincerely thank you for contributing to my journey and learning over the last 15 years. I joined the DA when I was 19 and was organizing on campus. From being an early young leader to starting the Rhodes University chapter, building and leading the DA Youth and growing the party’s presence across tertiary institutions and youth structures – I was able to interact with many young people of different backgrounds, with the same dream for South Africa,” she added.
“I enjoyed building some of the first township branches eThekwini and working as a DA staff member before becoming a public representative.”
She has been an MPL, serving in the portfolio committee on public works, a post she had been moved to in January 2021 after a long stint in the cooperative governance and traditional affairs committee.
During her time at the “blue party” Ntuli ruffled feathers and challenged leadership at every turn, including her failed bid to become the party’s federal leader in 2020.
Her attempt was met with resistance from the DA’s old guard, with former diplomat Douglas Gibson warning against her being elected a leader, arguing that they had tried those “experiments” in the past – referring to former federal leader Maimane and former leader of the opposition in Parliament Mazibuko – and they didn’t work.
-EWN
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