Poetic Licence

By Rabbie Serumula | Published Apr 18, 2025

The IRR is not just any polling outfit. Its leadership and affiliates have long blurred the lines between think tank and political shop. Helen Zille, the Chairperson of the Federal Council of the DA, served as a senior policy fellow there. Gwen Ngwenya, the DA’s former Head of Policy, was its COO. Gareth van Onselen, the DA’s ex-communications head, ran its Politics and Governance desk. Even the party’s youngest MP, Mlondi Mdluli, previously managed campaigns for the IRR. These are not passive alumni; they are ideological insiders.