Resignation Letter of Paul Boughey – Democratic Alliance CEO

I am today announcing that I am stepping down as CEO of the Democratic Alliance, having reached an agreement in principle with the party to do so, the final details of which will be agreed to in the coming days. The last five years have been the most satisfying, complex and challenging adventure of my professional career.

It has been an incredible privilege to lead the operational team of the DA during this period. The DA is blessed to have as part of its professional staff component such a dynamic, diverse and talented group of people – bound together by a deep and abiding commitment to the party and to building a non-racial, inclusive and prosperous South Africa for all who live in it, no matter the circumstances of their birth.

I am particularly grateful for the support and wisdom that the senior management team of the operation have offered me over the years; they have often made the seemingly impossible, possible. I have always tried my best to match their support by leading in a principled manner and with the seriousness that the responsibilities this role demanded of me.

I have had a unique privilege of working directly with many senior political leaders of the DA across the country. I have learned a great deal from them all. We have experienced great highs, most notably the historic successes in the 2016 elections, and working together to form the new governments that arose from these elections. We have weathered numerous storms, and together have had to come to terms with the disappointing election results of 2019.

I am especially grateful of having had the chance to work directly with James Selfe and Mmusi Maimane. James is truly one of the unsung heroes of South Africa’s democratic dispensation. His wisdom, counsel and support has been invaluable, and the 40 years of service and counting he has offered this party and its predecessors is unlikely to ever be matched in our lifetime.

Working with Mmusi has been an extraordinary experience. Together we have travelled across South Africa and the world, and I have always been struck by his unwavering commitment and belief in building one South Africa for all. I have seen firsthand the warmth and affection South Africans from across all walks of life have for him. He too has taught me much; humility, patience and an unwavering belief that ultimately the better angels of people’s nature will prevail, something which I am sure has been severely tested in recent times.

The DA is currently going through an important phase of self-reflection, this is a necessary process in order to strengthen itself. I am always struck how much criticism the party and its leadership come under, when all too often so much of this critique is made blissfully unaware of how complex and important the DA and its cause is to South Africa.

I have no doubt, that the leadership and broader membership of the DA will rise to this moment, that it will recalibrate and come back even stronger to face the challenges of election 2021 and beyond. In a country and increasingly global landscape characterized by the rise of competing nationalisms, the DA’s vision and values have never been more important to South Africa’s future. I can only now wish the leadership well in their endeavors.

It is therefore the right time to hand over the baton, and to allow the leadership and new Chair of the Federal Council the space to chart their own course.

Thank you to the broader DA family, you will always have my deepest affection and support. And would also like to publicly to thank my own family, especially my two precious children for allowing me the time and space to pursue this adventure of a lifetime and to assure them that Dad will be around a lot more now.

Issued by the DA, 17 October 2019