Mbali Ntuli, a prominent DA member and KwaZulu-Natal MPL, has officially left the party after 15 years of service in various structures.
Ntuli, on the other hand, will not be joining another political party. On Thursday, Ntuli submitted her resignation as a DA member. She claimed that the current political system and its existing parties were not focused on making South Africa the equitable and just country that it required.
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Ntuli’s post-DA plans include collaborating with community leaders across the country to promote greater socioeconomic and political change. “It is therefore time for me to take a break from formal politics, get back on the ground and help real change makers make our country better.
“I am excited for what comes next, and am confident that the work ahead will bring me closer to my purpose. I look forward to informing you of how I plan to do this in the near future,” she said.
Ntuli has had a contentious 15-year career in the DA, including public squabbles with federal council chairperson Helen Zille over her tweets. Ntuli said that she is extremely proud of the work she accomplished during her time in the DA.
Speaking of the “difficult and relentless challenges I have faced in the party,” Ntuli stated that the DA was not immune to gossip and that she did not want to rehash any of these challenges because they were widely publicized and had been raised internally on numerous occasions.
“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 — my opposition of which formed part of my year-long campaign for DA leader in 2020,” she added.
Ntuli’s political career began at Rhodes University, where she founded the DA’s first student branch at the age of 19, and went on to expand the party across South African university campuses. She also served as the national leader of the DA youth.
Her resignation follows a failed bid to lead the party on a national level. “It is my fervent belief in change that has guided my time as a public representative and community leader for more than a decade. It is what occasioned my bid to become the leader of the DA.
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“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 DA and member of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature,” said Ntuli.
Building some of the first township branches in eThekwini, in rural KwaZulu-Natal (Mkhanyakude), and working as a DA staff member before becoming a public representative are among her notable contributions to the DA.
