Mbali Ntuli

Mbali Ntuli and Helen Zille's relationship has been characterised by disagreement with each other. South African media have even claimed that there is animosity between the two.[2][6][13]

In 2014, Zille called Ntuli a "princess" and a "prima donna", for "repeated instances" of behaviour that Zille regarded as unprofessional. Ntuli had criticised as "strategically unsound" DA plans to march on Luthuli House to complain about an unfulfilled promise of new jobs by the ANC; although Zille encouraged disagreement, she took issue with Ntuli's unwillingness to discuss the topic with her when she tried to reach out to her.[14]

Ntuli faced internal disciplinary charges in 2017, based on allegations that she in December 2016 "liked" a comment on social media, in response to an article about Zille's controversial tweets in 2016, that called Zille "racist";[15] and that she accused the DA of "inconsistency" in the way it treats contraventions of its social media policy.[13][16] Acting Western Cape DA leader Bonginkosi Madikizela brought the allegations to the party's attention.[15] Despite advice from the DA legal commission that charges not proceed because they could reflect poorly on the party, federal executive chairman James Selfe maintained that it was the federal executive's duty to investigate the matter in order to be consistent with the way that the party addressed social media faux pas such as Zille's and Dianne Kohler Barnard's.[17] "How does one justify charging Ms Kohler Barnard and not Ms Ntuli?" he had asked.[18]

On the 7th of February 2020, Ntuli launched her campaign to run for the position of DA Federal Leader.[19] She ran against interim leader, John Steenhuisen. During her launch she said, “I think that our current leadership is in a panicked state. I think that what they want to do is stabilise and maintain the status quo. I think that is the wrong approach to where the DA needs to be going because that means we’re going to stagnate and we’re not going to move forward."[19]

A month before the Federal Congress, the DA set rules that prevented candidates from running public campaigns. Ntuli's supporters did not support this rule as she had been running a very public campaign. [20] She challenged Steenhuisen to a live televised debate but that request was denied by both the DA leadership and the Steenhuisen campaign.[21] During her campaign, she criticised the DA leadership for "top-down management". She believed that is why a lot of DA leaders had been "forced to resign."[22] She said this style of leadership was "breaking the DA" and she hoped to change it as Federal leader. She said, " What we have seen is cult-like behaviour associated with big personalities. Past leaders have been known to surround themselves with a small grouping of advisors, some with no on-the-ground community building experience. Some being ideologues, while others being only too happy to leverage their proximity to power to further their own ambitions. When there is a situation like that in a political party, a culture of top-down management becomes dominant, compelling many to either fall in line or risk being either isolated, purged or frustrated into resigning."[23] This critique of the DA leadership led some senior members of the DA to accuse her of not wanting to lead the party but to "leave it in flames." [24] This was fueled by the fact that she ran her campaign at a time after many senior black DA leaders, like former Federal Leader Mmusi Maimane, former Federal chairperson Athol Trollip, former Mayor of Johannesburg Herman Mashaba and former Provincial Leader of the DA in Gauteng John Moodey, had recently resigned from the party. In October, she dismissed claims that she would leave the DA should she lose the campaign. As part of her response, she said, “Whether I win or lose, I plan to be here for this entire fight because I really think it’s important.”[25]

Just 25 days before the Federal Congress, a political analyst suggested on Twitter that Ntuli must "withdraw from this race and expose it for what it is. A sham election. Then also discuss the debate dodging, the multiple charges against black leaders and the denial of media access in the last laps of the race." Ntuli declared that she will not back down but instead that she can "fix the problems" once she gets elected as federal leader.[26]

Ntuli ran on the idea that she was bringing necessary transformation that would help the DA grow while Steenhuisen was a candidate who was part of the establishment and would maintain the status quo. “Do they vote for John, a candidate that is part of the existing establishment and wishes and seems to really maintain the status quo, or do they vote for a candidate that wishes to reimagine what SA could look like?” Ntuli asked.[27]

The Federal Congress, where the leader would be elected, took place on the 31st of October 2020 to the 1st of November 2020. The leader was announced on the second day of the federal congress.[28] John Steenhuisen was elected as the new leader.[29]