Cape Town - The Democratic Alliance (DA) prepares to elect a new leader, Netwerk24 takes a look at the top runners to replace Helen Zille.
Mmusi Maimane
Born: June 6 1980 in Krugersdorp, Gauteng. He grew up in Dobsonville, Soweto.
Education: A Bachelor’s Degree in psychology at Unisa, a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Witwatersrand, and a Masters in Theology from the University of Wales.
Career outside politics: Business consultant, pastor and social worker.
DA career: Joined in 2009. Was the mayoral candidate for Johannesburg in 2011 and candidate for Gauteng premier in 2014. At present he is one of the three deputy chairpersons. He became an MP last year and as, DA parliamentary leader, is the official leader of the opposition in Parliament.
Dr Wilmot James
Born: July 5 1953 in Paarl, Western Cape. Matriculated in Athlone in 1970.
Education: BA degree from the University of the Western Cape. As a Fulbright student he got both an MSc and PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Career outside politics: As sociologist he held academic positions at various universities, including professor of Sociology at UCT. He was the executive director of Idasa between 1994 and 1998. In 1999 he was appointed dean of human science at UCT and between 2001 and 2004 executive director of the Human Sciences Research Council. He also served on a variety of other boards.
DA career: Became an MP in 2009. In 2010 he was elected unopposed as federal DA chairperson, a position he will hold until the party's sixth federal congress on May 9 and 10, at which new leaders will be elected.