South Africa's opposition party elects first black leader

South Africa's main opposition party elected its first black leader on Sunday, marking a significant shift in the political landscape of Africa's most advanced economy.

Mmusi Maimane will succeed Helen Zille - a former journalist who announced last month she was stepping down after eight years at the party's helm - after winning the Democratic Alliance's leadership contest.

Ms Zille, who has been the party's dominant figure, led the party to second place behind the ruling African National Congress in last year's elections, securing more than 22 per cent of the vote.

The DA, which governs Cape Town and the Western Cape - the only one of the country's nine provinces not run by the ANC - has grown steadily under Ms Zille's stewardship. But in a country where race remains a significant factor in politics, the party has struggled to throw off perceptions that it represents minority white interests. Its core support has traditionally come from white South Africans and mixed-race voters.

The DA's own research ahead of last year's election revealed that almost one in two black people believed the DA would bring back apartheid if it gained power.

The party hopes that with its first black leader those perceptions will change and that it will be able to build on the gradual inroads it has made with black voters.

Mr Maimane, who has risen rapidly through the party's ranks, from national spokesman last year to its parliamentary leader this year, said that under his leadership the DA would put more emphasis on its economic policies and be more aggressive about creating a "non-racial" South Africa.

He told the Financial Times the party would also be more decisive about tackling racial imbalances. In the past, the DA has drawn criticism for being ambiguous on measures designed to help narrow the gaping social and economic differences created by apartheid and colonisation.

"We must believe in a better tomorrow for all South Africans," he said in his victory speech. "We can transcend racial inequality but this can only happen if every South African acknowledges the injustices of apartheid and can only happen if we all recognise that racial inequality of the past still remains with us today."

Mr Maimane grew up in the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto and holds masters degrees in theology and public administration. Praised for his oratory skills, he has been credited with solid performances in parliament this year as he locked horns with President Jacob Zuma over alleged corruption scandals. In one notable exchange, he accused Mr Zuma of being "a broken man, presiding over a broken society".

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Mr Maimane's challenge will be ensuring the unity of his party while convincing sceptical black voters that the leadership changes are not simply cosmetic.

Mcebisi Ndletyana, an analyst at Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection, a think-tank, said: "It's a defining moment. The DA will be looked at slightly differently going forward, but it also depends whether or not this moment delivers something tangible. They will have to do a lot to make us believe it's not a superficial change."

The "depth" of Mr Maimane's conviction had yet to be tested, he said: "You are not sure whether it's the lure of the perks that come with leadership that attracts him to politics, or is it conviction itself?"

An early test will be next year's local elections. With the ANC's image increasingly tarnished by scandals and a poorly performing economy, the ruling party is expected to face stiff battles to retain its grip on power in key cities including Johannesburg, Pretoria and Port Elizabeth.

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