Mmusi Maimane is the DA's National Spokesperson. He is also a Deputy Federal Chairperson of the DA.

Mmusi holds an undergraduate degree in psychology and postgraduate degrees in theology and public administration. Before entering politics, he consulted to businesses on change management, succession and talent retention, and taught at the Gordon Institute of Business Science. He is actively involved in his church as a Pastor.

Mmusi has proven himself to be an effective Caucus Leader in the City of Johannesburg. As Verashni Pillay of the Mail & Guardian wrote in August 2013:

"Among his achievements are putting in place a long-awaited performance assessment system for the caucus and visibly campaigning on a number of issues including the notorious billing crisis."

Upon assuming office in Johannesburg, Mmusi brought in outside experts to enrich the caucus, set out clearly defined roles for the Chief Whip and Leader, and revived the Caucus Management Team.

The metro Shadow Cabinet developed an issue-driving framework to improve the quality and quantity of caucus media coverage. Mmusi also created a Caucus Leader's Network to ensure more collaboration and coordinated issue-driving between the DA's various structures in Gauteng.

Mmusi speaks six languages fluently - English, Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Setswana and Sephedi. He is working on his Afrikaans.

Mmusi Maimane was born and raised in Dobsonville, Soweto. His roots in township life gives him an authentic connection with the majority of South African voters. As one colleague describes it:

"He's what I call a ‘kasi boy'. He's not pretending to be a kasi boy - he really is a kasi boy.... I think coming out of the township himself, he maybe identifies with the issues better than someone who didn't grow up in the township."

Mmusi's potential to grow the DA by connecting with a diverse array of people is summed up by political analyst, Professor Steven Friedman:

"Maimane tends to speak to the majority of voters in terms to which they can relate. So the choice is what the DA wants to be: a suburban party with some black support or one that seeks to move into the mainstream."

Reconciliation is one of Mmusi's top priorities. In 2012, he made headlines when he wrote an open letter to two models (one black, one white) who had exchanged racial insults on social media. He wrote:

"I am in what might have been called under apartheid a ‘mixed marriage'... I would be happy to host you both at my home. I am proud to say that it is a place of love and tolerance, a place where people leave their prejudice at the door."

The two young women accepted the invitation and apologised to each other at a breakfast hosted at Mmusi's house.

Mmusi believes that bringing people together starts with learning about each other's cultures. Earlier this year, following a visit to the Voortrekker Monument, he wrote in The Daily Maverick:

"I have long wanted to visit the Voortrekker Monument to educate myself about a history that is not my own...It is a story of brutality waged upon a people who had decided against all odds to remain on African soil..."

What others have said about Mmusi Maimane:

 "I regard Mmusi Maimane as the brightest star to step onto our political stage since the young Frederik van Zyl Slabbert in the critical 1980s" -- Allister Sparks, Business Day 23 April 2014

"The party's challenge is led by Mmusi Maimane, a personable young politician already being referred to in the press as the ‘Obama of Soweto'." - Martin Plaut, New Statesman, 24 November 2013

"But, slowly, there is no question that the party is changing its tone. The face of this change is the young Gautenger, Mmusi Maimane, who is storming around the province as you imagine Barack Obama conducted his early politics, drawing some truly authentic admiration in the process."- Peter Bruce, 13 November 2013

"He prides himself on being hands-on. Whether it's open toilets in the Free State or reports on the military-style Kommandokorps training, you are likely to see Maimane investigating the issue in person. In April he joined schoolchildren in the Eastern Cape for their daily 12km walk to school." - Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans 2012

"He was born in Soweto, is multilingual, has multiple university degrees and a unique ability to connect with people from a variety of backgrounds." - Verashni Pillay, Mail & Guardian 22 November 2013

"Being the spokesperson for an opposition party requires someone who is sharp and can turn a debate on its head in a split second. Maimane does it with aplomb, while managing to campaign to grow his party all at the same time." -Stephen Grootes, Politics Unspun 2014

"He's a systems guy, a 30,000-foot high flyer, a sketcher of grand designs and planner of enormous futures." - Richard Poplak, Daily Maverick 20 February 2014

Issued by the Maimane campaign for the position of parliamentary leader, May 22 2014

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