Sonakile elected DA provincial leader

Newly elected provincial leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the North West province, Freddy Sonakile aims to grow the party to win elections.

In his acceptance speech, Sonakile said his election was not about victory but about delivering a strong, united DA.

“There is no Black DA or white DA. There is one strong, united DA.”

He said he would prioritise being on the ground, engaging branches, councillors, traditional leaders, farmers, businesses and township communities to rebuild trust, strengthen DA structures, and prepare the party to win the municipal election.

“What I have heard consistently during my stakeholder engagements and constituency tours is that people want a leadership that is visible, present, and connected to their daily realities.”

Sonakile said leadership was not about office work or titles.

“It is about showing up, listening, and turning that input into action.”

Luan Snyders, DA caucus leader in the Rustenburg local municipality, was elected deputy leader.

Carin Visser was elected provincial chairperson.

Erna Rossouw, a proportional representation councillor in Madibeng local municipality, was elected deputy chairperson.

Christiaan Steyl was elected financial chairperson.

They are faced with a target of reducing the ANC voting support to below 50 per cent in all municipalities in the North West province.

Sonakile warned that trust, luck or hope would not give the DA election victory, but hard work would deliver decisive victory.

He pointed out that there were four hang municipalities in the North West and that the DA should focus on winning those municipalities.

The party targeted JB Marks municipality as one of the municipalities it could win.

Political analyst Professor Theo Venter was named as the mayoral candidate in the JB Marks local municipality.