Political analyst Xolelwa Gashe has raised concern over the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) leadership succession plan.
Gashe used the DA’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille as an example, saying the party seems to be failing to groom its young people to takeover.
“I think it is a problem when you have a personality acting as a figurehead that seems to be all-encompassing and all-controlling. Helen is not leaving the political landscape; she is targeting Johannesburg and seems to be the trusted lieutenant when it comes to taking over the City of Johannesburg,” says Gashe.
The DA is the only party that elects leadership through an open, fair, democratic process. We are here to provide a mandate to our leadership and chart a way forward to get SA working.
She says it is part of that leadership crisis where you have an individual who seems to be an all-rounder without grooming young leaders.
“Maybe there is a crisis in leadership even within the DA, because why can they not field a young, fresh candidate for the City of Johannesburg? Instead, they will still use Helen,” adds Gashe.
RELATED VIDEO | DA Federal Congress | Politics of Wishful thinking: Prof Susan Booysen
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/a-canadian-passport-with-a-boarding-pass-on-a-table.jpg?id=60508000&width=600&height=600&coordinates=60%2C0%2C60%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Significant changes to <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/canada-immigration">Canada's immigration</a> and citizenship rules could be on the horizon, with new measures that would grant automatic citizenship to some individuals.</p><p>On Thursday, June 5, the federal government <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-government-of-canada-introduces-citizenship-by-descent-legislation-for-canadians-869508037.html">announced Bill C-3</a>, a proposal that would expand who gets to pass Canadian citizenship to their children — even if both parent and child were born outside Canada.</p><p>Currently, there's a limit known as the "first-generation rule." It means if you're a Canadian but were born abroad, you can only automatically pass your citizenship to kids born overseas if you yourself were born or naturalized in Canada. That rule has been in place since 2009.</p><p>However, Bill C-3 is looking to change it.</p><p>It would allow citizenship to be passed down beyond just the first generation, which is a significant shift for anyone with family ties overseas or parents who have moved around a lot.</p><p>Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says this would especially help "Lost Canadians" — people who missed out on citizenship rights due to outdated legislation or who lost their status under old rules.</p><p>Among those impacted are individuals who were affected by the now-repealed section 8 of the Citizenship Act. These were people born outside Canada beyond the first generation between February 15, 1977, and April 16, 1981. They lost their Canadian citizenship at the age of 28 if they did not take specific steps to retain it before the first-generation limit came into effect in 2009.</p><p>Although <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/act-changes/rules-2009-2015.html">updates in 2009 and 2015</a> helped approximately 20,000 people regain or gain citizenship, many individuals were still left out. </p><p>This new bill is intended to address that issue.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1930650525659197933">
<div style="margin:1em 0"></div> — (@) <a href="https://twitter.com/CitImmCanada/status/1930650525659197933"></a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<p>So, what exactly would Bill C-3 do?</p><p>First, it would automatically citizenship to individuals who were previously excluded due to the first-generation limit or other repealed rules. That means some people would suddenly qualify without needing to apply under special exceptions.</p><p>Second, it lays out a new system going forward. If you're a Canadian born outside the country and want to pass on citizenship to a child also born abroad, you'd need to prove a "substantial connection" to Canada. Specifically, you'd have to show you've lived in Canada for at least 1,095 days (three years) before your child was born or adopted.</p><p>Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said in a statement on June 5, "Citizenship is more than a legal status — it's a profound connection to the values, history, and spirit of Canada." She added that asking people to show a strong connection to the country when passing down citizenship honours that deeper bond.</p><p>This update comes after an Ontario Superior Court ruling in 2023 found parts of the current rules unconstitutional. Instead of appealing, the federal government decided to go the legislative route and just fix the problem — something IRCC says is overdue.</p><p>If you think this might affect your family, hang tight. Since March, an <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-citizenship/proof-citizenship/application-first-generation.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">interim measure</a> has been in place to support people caught in the citizenship limbo while the bill was being worked on. That support system will stay in place until the bill is passed.</p><p>Anyone with kids born outside Canada — or thinking about having some while living abroad — might want to keep tabs on this bill. Once it gets Royal Assent, more details will roll out.</p><p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em></p><p><em>AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of MTL Blog's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/editorial-standards" target="_blank">Editorial Standards page</a>.</em></p>
<div><img width="300" height="169" src="https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/images-2023-11-02T015545.735-300x169.jpeg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/images-2023-11-02T015545.735-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/images-2023-11-02T015545.735.jpeg 710w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></div>
<p>President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, allegedly lambasted the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, during a peace meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Naija News had earlier reported that Tinubu met with Fubara, a former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and other Rivers stakeholders. Two sources who were present at the meeting confirmed to […]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.naijanews.com/2023/12/20/how-tinubu-lambasted-fubara-at-peace-meeting-with-wike/">‘How Tinubu Lambasted Fubara At Peace Meeting With Wike’</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.naijanews.com">Naija News</a>.</p>
The DA is the only party that elects leadership through an open, fair, democratic process. We are here to provide a mandate to our leadership and chart a way forward to get SA working.
https://t.co/3sSTpspEoU pic.twitter.com/naw3Butesp
