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- The district attorney adopted a compensation policy that does not include race.
- The policy also says that reparation must be accompanied by reconciliation.
- It also rejects demographic representativeness as a measure of diversity.
On Saturday, the DA broke with the policy of its former leader, Mmusi Maimane, by taking a position on redress that does not have “race as a substitute for disadvantage,” as Maimane put it.
In February 2019, an optimistic Maimane, then still comfortably in the party’s driver’s seat, announced that the Federal Council adopted the party’s manifesto for the 2019 elections. The manifesto had reparation as a pillar and declared that race was a substitute for disadvantage in South Africa.
READ | DA adopts the principle of ‘no racism’ in its political conference
“We believe that race is a proxy for disadvantage and an accurate reflection of who is still excluded from opportunity. The party has not decided to move away from race-based compensation policies, however, we unequivocally reject the compensation version of the ANC, which operates to enrich and re-enrich the connected elite, “he said.
At the time, this could be seen as a Maimane victory in the party’s internal ideological tug of war.
Mmusi Maimane during the launch of the Democratic Alliance (DA) manifesto at the Rand Stadium on February 23, 2019 in Johannesburg. (Images of Gallo, Netwerk, Deaan Vivier)
About 18 months later, and in the cold early spring of the Covid-19 year, the DA is a long way from where it was on that sunny late-summer Sunday afternoon in February 2019.
After a dismal performance in the 2019 elections, the ideological battle erupted, with Maimane targeted by the group calling itself the “classical liberals.”
He saw the resurgence of former leader Helen Zille in the party’s upper structure as a figurehead for the “classical liberal” grouping, and Maimane left, along with others.
On Saturday, he adopted a compensation clause as part of his values and principles in his virtual political conference, which starts from the February 2019 position.
Having adopted a principle of “no racism” earlier in the day, in its position of reparation, the party removes race from the equation and asserts that reparation “must unite a firm commitment to reconciliation.”
It also adopted a diversity position, which states that “diversity is not demographic representativeness”, and rejects quotas, whether based on race or gender.
The district attorney’s position on redress:
1 Reparation refers to the need to remedy or correct an unfair or unfair situation.
2 Our past is plagued with countless injustices, stemming from past conflicts and the apartheid politics of racial segregation. These include: forced expulsions, reservation of employment, detention without trial, disparities in education, and concentration camps. The consequences of these injustices persist, compounded by poor governance, and are reflected in high rates of poverty, unemployment, and general inequality of opportunity.
3 Reparation must unite a firm commitment to reconciliation, with a commitment to ensure that inequality of opportunity, which has been the hallmark of our past, is not a feature of the present or the future.
4 Policies that address inequality of opportunity, including interventions in education, health care, the economy, and safety and security, will always be the central pillars of our program of action.
5 This commitment to equal opportunities is so deep that it is reflected in our vision of an ‘open society and opportunities for all’.
6 AD will strive to overcome our past and create a just and equitable future.
Adoption of these principles suggests that the grouping calling itself the “classical liberals” dominates the conference.
This group is believed to generally support the candidacy of the current interim leader, John Steenhuisen, to lead the party after his elective conference in late October.
Steenhuisen will contest the position against former KwaZulu-Natal MPL and youth leader Mbali Ntuli.
The other candidate, John Moodey, left the party last week amid claims and counterclaims of fraud.
The position on diversity adopted by the AD on Saturday:
1 The value of diversity, that is, the existence of difference, lies in its potential to expand learning, debate, and healthy competition. The value of the whole of our various experiences is greater than the sum of the parts.
2 Were it not for the difference in experiences, thoughts, talents, and knowledge that people bring, our understanding of the world would be limited, without compassion, and without empathy.
3 Each individual is unique and not a racial or gender envoy; therefore, diversity is not demographic representativeness.
4 People, when they are free to make their own decisions, will not be represented in any and all organizations, sectors, companies or management levels, according to a predetermined proportion.
5 The DA, therefore, opposes quotas, be they race, gender, or otherwise.
6 When accepted, diversity acts as a potential bulwark against discrimination, uniformity of thought, and closed thinking.
7 DA will strive to maximize the potential value of diversity.
The Prosecutor’s Office also adopted a clause on opportunity, which states that “each individual is presented with options and the reasonable ability to act accordingly, in order to create a life of their choice,” and that the government must not arbitrarily restrict the opportunities.
The nearly 200 conference participants also unanimously adopted the principle of separation of state and party, separation of powers, federalism and constitutionalism, and the rule of law.
These are long-standing principles of the DA and hardly the source of disagreement in the party.
It also adopted clauses on integrity, fairness, resilience, excellence, compassion, evidence-based decision making, responsibility, openness, and freedom.
In a video clip shared with the media, the acting federal president of the Prosecutor’s Office, Ivan Meyer, described the virtual political conference as a “historic moment.”
“This is very important as we embark on local government elections next year,” he said.
He said that many of the positions taken are “fundamental” for the AD and aim to “give people hope and lift people out of poverty.”
“It is the key political principles that will shape the future of South Africa.”
The conference will continue on Sunday.
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