After eight combative years as leader of South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), Helen Zille is to step down at next month's party congress. During her reign the party has steadily made gains, but it is still widely considered "too white" to threaten the supremacy of the African National Congress (ANC), which dominates the country's politics despite its falling support. Under the leadership of Ms Zille, a doughty 64-year-old who campaigned as a journalist against apartheid, the DA has progressed. With its promotion of social and economic liberalism as the road to harmony and prosperity, it won 17% of votes cast in 2009 and 22% at the last election a year ago, compared with 62% for the ANC. It strengthened its grip as the ruling party of the Western Cape, the second-richest of South Africa's nine provinces (Ms Zille will remain its premier), and holds the mayoralty of Cape Town, South Africa's second city. At next year's local elections the DA hopes, perhaps in a coalition, to wrest from the anc control of Johannesburg, the commercial capital; Pretoria, the seat of government; and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, which embraces Port Elizabeth.
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