Former DA Youth Leader and Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature (MPL) Mbali Ntuli, who announced her resignation from the party on Thursday, says she wants to work with community leaders to “harness their potential to realise change”.
Ntuli is the latest DA member to join a growing list of prominent black leaders who have left the Democratic Alliance in recent years.
In a statement issued by Ntuli on Thursday morning, she said she was taking a break from formal politics to get back on the ground and help “real change-makers make our country better”.
“I am excited about going onto the ground to work with communities as they uplift themselves in keeping with the South African spirit.
“I am not lost to politics. I will be back, but it is important for me to utilise my energy, passion and plethora of ideas to uplift communities I currently cannot reach in my current role,” she said.
Ntuli said she still firmly believed that the current political system and existing political parties were not focused on making South Africa the equitable, just country it needed to be.
“They are simply not able to foster collaboration, innovation and organise to make a difference,” she said.
Further in her statement, Ntuli addressed the public, thanking them for their support. She said she hoped they knew her resignation was not a betrayal of their votes and confidence in her but rather a chance to renew her energies and find other ways to give back to the community.
She also said that her DA colleagues “know better than most”, the relentless challenges she faced in the party “because our party (like another other organisation) is not immune to gossip”.
“I have been forthright about instances where the DA has erred in its treatment of its members and the negative culture that is fostered within the organisation.
“So, I leave with a deep sense of compassion for those of you who will remain and wish you all the best as you forge ahead with the exemplary work you do as individuals to help improve South Africa,” Ntuli said.
She further thanked her compatriots, democrats, colleagues across the political divide, especially the women of the ANC, IFP and EFF in the provincial legislature, the media and public.
Ntuli has been with the DA for 15 years. She joined when she was 19 while at Rhodes University.
Political Bureau