Phumzile van Damme Helen Zille Twitter DA 2

Photo: DA / Twitter

‘Choosing a new path’: Phumzile van Damme terminates DA membership

News of Phumzile van Damme terminating her DA membership comes just months after she resigned as a Member of Parliament

Phumzile van Damme Helen Zille Twitter DA 2

Photo: DA / Twitter

Just when you think the dust may have settled: Phumzile van Damme has terminated her membership from the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Van Damme made the announcement on her Twitter account on Saturday, 26 June 2021.

“I have decided to terminate my DA membership. The misinformation monitoring and combatting project we will be rolling out during election season requires that I be non-partisan. Our plans are at an advanced stage. South Africa, first. Always has been,” she said.

Van Damme added that none of the political parties will be sparred, including the DA.

“No one gave me anything, I am where I am because of MY hard work. I didn’t need the DA to survive, I chose it. And now, I’m choosing a new path,” she also said on Twitter.

What’s next for Phumzile van Damme?

News of Phumzile van Damme terminating her DA membership comes just months after she resigned as a Member of Parliament – for many, the move isn’t entirely unexpected.

In response to a tweet by Brett Heron, another former DA member, Van Damme said her project, which is aimed at combatting misinformation, could launch as early as July. She said it had been a passion of hers for quite some time.

When Van Damme announced her resignation as an MP, she attributed the decision to “a clique of individuals” in the party – but also said she would remain a DA member.

“To be clear, I will not be joining another political party, nor will I be using my time to launch attacks on the DA. I leave on my own terms, having made my own decision. Nonetheless, in a climate of rumours and the need to create heroes and villains, my resignation as an MP is not because the DA is the so-called “racist party” but because of a clique of individuals – and in order not to make the good women and men still in the DA suffer, I will not delve further into this,” she said at the time.