The DA has lost one of its most senior members, Dan Plato, who has resigned and joined Marius Fransman’s new party, the People’s Movement for Change (PMC).

The PMC, the newest political party on the block hoping to make inroads in the Western Cape during the 2024 National and Provincial elections, made the announcement at a press briefing yesterday.

At the briefing Plato, a former Cape Town Mayor, said he believes he can bring his hard work and experience to the PMC, but also added he does not want to speak negatively about the DA after his departure.

Plato finds a new political home at the PMC

He did however give some reasons for his resignation, saying the DA is losing its identity and is no longer a political home for the poor, working and middle class:

“The DA has moved away from its commitment to serving the needs of the most vulnerable in our society. The party seems to be stifling voices that do not align with a certain cabal, and critical outreach programmes designed to benefit the poor are being cancelled in the City of Cape Town and Western Cape government.”

Plato further expressed disappointment with the DA’s over its stance on Israel’s war in Gaza:

“The DA’s suppression of pro-Palestine voices within the party is deeply troubling. This stifling of diverse opinions not only contradicts the principles of justice and equality. As someone dedicated to upholding the rights of all, I believe in fostering open dialogue on critical global issues, and the DA’s current stance on the Palestinian question is incompatible with those values.”

While Fransman, the former Provincial ANC leader, accused Plato in 2013 of having links to gang bosses while he was serving as MEC of Safety and Security, that all seems to be water under the bridge now.

Fransman says he is delighted to welcome Plato, saying the PMC was the right home for him since the party “unapologetically advocates for a free and liberated Palestine”.

Watch the press conference below where Dan Plato is introduced as a new PMC member:

Meanwhile, the DA in the Western Cape has thanked Plato for his hard work, both on party and government level, and wished him well.

Plato served as Cape Town’s mayor from 2009 to 2011, taking the reigns from Helen Zille, and returned for a second stint from 2018 to 2021. The second run was after the departure of Patricia de Lille.

Plato reportedly bumped heads with party leadership in 2021, after they chose Geordin Hill-Lewis as their preferred candidate for new Cape Town Mayor, while Plato wanted to stay on.

PMC: The new party on the block

Fransman, who was suspended from the ANC in November 2016 following allegations of sexual harassment, launched the PMC in January 2024, claiming the party already had close to 100 000 members.

Among the leadership of the PMC is the Western Cape deputy chairperson of the SA National Taxi Council, Nceba Enge, who serves as the party’s secretary-general.

The PMC also has Apostle Moosa Joshua Mohlala as one of its leaders, an influential pastor in Cape Town townships and the party’s second deputy president.

It is not yet clear in what capacity Dan Plato will serve in the PMC, as currently he is just an ordinary member of the party.