Patriotic Alliance leader and Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie says the party anticipated Liam Jacobs’s departure long before he announced his return to the Democratic Alliance.
Speaking during a Facebook Live broadcast on Monday night, McKenzie said PA leaders had identified months ago that Jacobs was unhappy within the party and had struggled to adapt to its culture and grassroots-focused style of politics.
McKenzie revealed that he had held a private meeting with Jacobs to discuss concerns about his role in the party and his feelings of being sidelined.
He claimed that party leaders had subsequently concluded that Jacobs was likely to return to the DA and had internally discussed concerns about trusting him.
While describing Jacobs as a talented young politician, McKenzie argued that he was not suited to the PA’s ground-level campaigning approach and had failed to connect with the communities that make up much of the party’s support base.
McKenzie also rejected criticism levelled at the PA following Jacobs’ departure, insisting the party had supported him after he left the DA and maintaining that his exit would have little impact on the organisation.
His comments came after the DA officially welcomed Jacobs back into its ranks on Monday.
In a statement, DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said Jacobs had returned after rejecting what it described as the “politics of chaos, personality cults and empty promises” within the PA. The party claimed Jacobs had left after witnessing firsthand that the PA “never delivers on promises”.
Hill-Lewis said his return reflected the DA’s commitment to being an inclusive political home for South Africans and praised Jacobs for what it called the courage and maturity to “correct course” and recommit himself to building a better South Africa.
Hill-Lewis also said South Africa needs a political alternative that is “bigger than grievance, bigger than division, and bigger than any individual”.
With November’s local government elections looming, both parties are presenting Jacobs’ move as evidence of the strength of their respective political projects.
