Late Night Talk

Reports are suggesting that Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane has allegedly nominated himself as the Western Cape Premier candidate to replace Helen Zille.

Eusebius McKaiser wearing his political analyst hat, says there are facts that we need to know here, as we don't yet know for certain whether Maimane will be the premier candidate.

The question then becomes, is that a good move? Should he do that? I think it is a daft move, for many reasons, Its a silly move.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

And if DA leadership is listening to me, coincidently maybe you are on your way now to one of the many, many meetings you are having as you are scrambling to deal with discontent inside the party.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

Particularly, from Bongingkosi Madikizela, the leader in the Western Cape you are probably wondering should you go back on Mmusi's ambition to potentially be the DA premier in the Western Cape.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

Mmusi, you shouldn't be and here is a couple of reasons why. Number one: the first stupid thing, if you were to put your name in the hat to be the premier candidate for the DA in the Western Cape is, you are telling the ANC that you know you are going to lose in Gauteng.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

Now we all know that you are going to lose anyway, but you don't send that kind of message to your opponent dude.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

That is not how you play politics. Secondly, the Western Cape is still safe, we don't know by what margin you are going to win next year, but you are probably going to hold on to it.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

You don't take your strongest player, let's be nice to you and say that you are the best thing since Helen Suzman for the DA. Let's just imagine that for argument's sake.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

Its like in sports, you don't take your strongest player and waste them against minnows, when you go on an international tour, to play ten different countries, you may decide that you know what if we play against Zim, then Kagiso Rabada can be rested so that he is ready for the battle against Australia.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

He says politics work similarly.

READ: Maimane nominates himself for premier candidacy of the Western Cape

You don't have competition from the useless ANC in the Western Cape, so why put your strongest player there?

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

It is a safe seat. There will be a DA premier in the Western Cape, you know that I know that. So why waste your own excellence?

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

If you are as brilliant as you imagine you are, why not take your excellence to battleground zero? Battlegrounds that are very important for your party? And you know you got at least two battlegrounds that are feasible, potentially feasible, depending on what you get right between now and the election.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

He adds that the DA can make good strides in the Northen Cape and also Gauteng and they can make pretty good strides in the Eastern Cape.

So if Gauteng, the heartland of the country with lots of economic power, is critically important to a DA that wishes by 2024 to be running this country, what kind of tactical choice are you making to put your name in the hat, it doesn't make sense.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

And then there is a third factor, it makes sense to choose people who understand the local dynamic deeply.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

The fact that you fly between Cape Town and Joburg as an MP, doesn't mean that you are of Cape Town; it doesn't mean that you get the depth of the issues between a lot of the Xhosa communities, Afrikaans coloured communities, white Capetonians, I mean Cape Town is another country.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

You and I know that you are a boy from Soweto; you have become a man in Soweto, you know this particular province, and what it tells that is that you are running away from a good fight.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

In other words, you are a political coward. If you weren't a coward you would stay here and you would fight David Makhura for the most important battle between the DA and the ANC.

— Eusebius McKaiser, Show Host.

Watch below McKaiser's thoughts:

Listen below to the full unsolicited advice from McKaiser to Maimane.