PORT ELIZABETH - WHO WILL SUCCEED ATHOL TROLLIP AS DA'S EASTERN CAPE LEADER?

Nelson Mandela Bay political head of human settlements Nqaba Bhanga has taken to social media to garner support as the race to succeed mayor Athol Trollip as the DA’s Eastern Cape leader hots up.

Bhanga has made it clear that he wants to succeed Trollip and focus on winning support from young people in the province for a possible takeover from the ANC after the 2019 elections.

The ANC governs most municipalities in Eastern Cape, with the DA at the helm of the Nelson Mandela Bay and Kouga municipalities. The former ANC and Cope leader, however, faces a stiff challenge from long-serving DA provincial chairperson Veliswa Mvenya, a former school teacher, credited for establishing DA structures in rural parts of the province.

DA provincial director Elmarie Botha said the nomination process had closed. Contenders for the provincial chairman position included Andrew Whitfield and Gustav Rautenbach, a member of the mayoral committee and a councillor in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro, respectively.

The Bhanga and Mvenya camps have unveiled their “winning teams” ahead of the elective conference in East London on May 5-6.

Political analyst Ongama Mtimka said while it was far-fetched that the DA would take over the running of the province, there were indeed some opportunities for electoral growth for the DA.

VIA - iol