INLSA
Sizwe Mchunu
An April Fool’s prank by a DA leader went down like a lead balloon yesterday when a message Sizwe Mchunu posted on Facebook and Twitter was interpreted to mean that he was leaving the party – just weeks after being elected as KwaZulu-Natal leader.
Mchunu’s post read: “Tough decision, taken after intensive introspection. I leave with interesting memories, good bad. Glad of the role I’ve played. Goodbye…”
Later he added: “Shall I say, today marks a start of a new month, new week and new beginning for me… “
He later clarified that the message referred to his impending move from a township to another area in Pietermaritzburg and not to a change in political allegiances.
Although the message, which was loaded after 2pm, made no reference to the party, it generated several responses. Some people said they would miss him, some asked for the “whole story” and others said they knew it was an April Fool’s joke.
However, The Mercury believes the message caused some angst in the party after even senior DA colleagues could not reach him via his cellphone to get clarity. The party also asked a representative to search for him at his home.
At about 7pm, Lauren Chubb Silen, of the DA’s media office, posted a message on Mchunu’s Facebook page saying: “Seriously Sizwe! I have The Mercury phoning me! Pls BBM me with the REAL story!!”
DA provincial chairman Haniff Hoosen was also caught off guard and desperately tried to reach Mchunu to get answers.
However, after eventually getting hold of and chatting to Mchunu, Hoosen told The Mercury there were more “interesting things” which could be read on April 1 and which were forgotten the next day, so he did not think Mchunu’s comments would have an impact on the party or cause it embarrassment.
He acknowledged that the comment “took us all by surprise”, but said they had realised it was a joke.
Asked if it was wise for a political leader of Mchunu’s stature to play such a prank, he said: “Leaders are human beings too. They are people too.”
While DA members closed ranks and brushed the incident off as a joke, political analysts were not so forgiving. Protas Madlala described it as a “big mistake”.
“There are certain things you can joke about, (and) certain things you cannot. This was not an intelligent move; it could have medium to long-term impacts on the way he is perceived as a leader. People might think twice about trusting him,” he said.
Professor John Daniel said while the message Mchunu posted was “rather foolish”, he did not think it would affect him negatively.
“I would accept his explanation, although it was foolish. I think it is just a storm in a teacup and it will pass. I do not foresee it having a major impact.”
The DA chief whip in the provincial legislature, Radley Keys, confirmed he had also battled to get hold of Mchunu, while DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard, one of the party’s deputy chairmen in KZN, was equally nonplussed.
While the DA’s official line last night, including that from party leader Helen Zille, was that Mchunu had been playing an April Fool’s joke, he told The Mercury a slightly different story when he eventually responded to messages left on his cellphone.
Laughing, his first statement was: “Don’t tell me you have reserved the front page of The Mercury for me… I’m strong, fit, refreshed and leading the DA.”
He said his message had referred to his decision to move out of Imbali township to another area in Pietermaritzburg.
Mchunu said he had wondered what people would make of his message, given that it was April Fool’s Day.
“It was a light comment, but I expected that it might raise some temperatures,” he said.
Mchunu said he was confident that those who understood him would know that he was not the kind of person to flout party rules and principles, and that he would have written to the DA leadership before going public had he decided to resign.
He appreciated the fact that a number of people had proved to be “true friends” by showing their concern after reading his messages, but he felt the party had not been embarrassed as its name had not been “dragged” into the matter.
Mchunu, who became DA KZN leader last month following a bruising DA election campaign, said he had had to move because of several attempts on his life in Imbali, and that he had been considering his options for some time.
He had no bodyguards even though many people, especially those in townships and rural areas, still showed “resistance” to his political views.
Zille said Mchunu’s messages were in fact an April Fool’s Day joke.
“I called him and he said that it was a joke and that everything in KwaZulu-Natal was going well and that all party members were supporting each other in the province. The Tweet also did not include the DA in it, making no reference to the party. There was some confusion from the message, but it was a joke,” she said.
One of Mchunu’s first jobs after winning last month’s election was to unite the DA after the run-up to the congress was characterised by a vicious campaign including smear tactics.
