DA finance deputy minister ready to relinquish position for party leadership post

The DA deputy minister of finance Ashor Sarupen is ready to forego his deployment in government to take up the all-important position of DA federal chair, succeeding incumbent Helen Zille.

Sarupen, the current deputy and a frontrunner to replace Zille, told the Sunday Times yesterday that he would be ready to discuss his future if elected after the DA national congress next weekend.

“My preference is to focus on being chairperson of the federal council. But I’m open to staying on as DM (deputy minister), depending on the discussion with the leader.

“People pointed out that I have been successful in getting interventions sorted out and that sort of thing, so that will form part of the discussion,” said Sarupen.

He added: “I am prepared to relinquish being the party’s national campaign manager. The chair of the federal council directs the national strategy anyway.”

The position of DA federal chair is the second most contested in the DA. It’s also the most powerful after the DA leader, as it places the incumbent in day-to-day control of party affairs.

The other contender for the position is Werner Horn, who is one of the chairs in the national assembly, a deputy on the DA federal legal commission, and their representative in matters relating to the Electoral Commission of South Africa.

My preference is to focus on being chairperson of the federal council.

This raises the question of how, like Sarupen, he would fulfil these numerous responsibilities if elected to replace Zille. Horn had not responded to questions or requests for comment at the time of going to print.

The position has its own demands, and the only person to have done so in parallel with his position as an MP was the late James Selfe.

Sarupen said: “It’s a very critical position but it depends on the discretion of the incumbent (whether it is a full-time position or not). But as we mature as a party, this has become more demanding than ever. We now have coalitions and all sorts of things to manage. It really depends on the capacity of the individual. I don’t think you can do too many things; otherwise you will drop the ball.”

In terms of the DA constitution, the party’s federal chair has powerful authority, and the incumbent has the following powers:

• is expected to perform his or her functions on a full-time or virtually full-time basis;
• is entrusted with and responsible for the party’s organisation and administration, and for developing and maintaining a high degree of efficiency;
• implements decisions of the federal council and executive;
• works closely with the federal leader, chairperson, chairperson of finance, and the CEO;
• performs other functions and duties, and exercises powers assigned to him or her within the provisions of the constitution by the federal leader, council, and executive; and
• has the power to delegate any of these powers to the CEO or other appropriate persons.

“Whoever is elected has to delegate a thing, like lawfare. We are a party in government now, and are going to be more [involved] in government after the local government elections,” he says.

The DA has not had a CEO in the last couple of years, with Zille having fulfilled related responsibilities. According to insiders, that may change in the next few months after the April national congress.