Mmusi Maimane was re-elected as leader of the Democratic Alliance in 2018. He led the party to see its first decline in its history at the
May 2019 general election. This, as a result, caused factionalism and leadership uncertainty within the party. Maimane established a panel consisting of former party leader
Tony Leon, former party CEO
Ryan Coetzee and Capitec founder
Michiel le Roux to come up with an independent report detailing the faults and conflicts within the party.
Federal Council chair
James Selfe announced in June 2019 that he would retire in October of the same year, opening up a senior leadership position within the party. As Selfe's retirement neared, multiple candidates declared their candidacies. Former party leader
Helen Zille announced on 4 October 2019 that she would run for the post. DA CEO Paul Boughey stepped down on 17 October. The DA's Federal Council gathered on 19–20 October and
elected Zille as the party's chair on 20 October 2019. She defeated
Athol Trollip,
Mike Waters and
Thomas Walters. At the gathering, Maimane proposed that the party should head to an early elective congress and policy conference in 2020. At the same meeting, the panel's report was discussed. The report recommended that senior leadership should resign. Johannesburg mayor
Herman Mashaba announced his resignation the next day due to irreconcilable differences with party leadership following Zille's return. On 23 October,
Mmusi Maimane resigned as party leader. Party chair
Athol Trollip also stepped down. Both positions were consequently vacant, and the party set 17 November as the date to elect interim leadership. In the run-up to 17 November, both vacant posts became contested. Newly-elected parliamentary leader
John Steenhuisen, Western Cape DA provincial leader
Bonginkosi Madikizela, and Gauteng MPL
Makashule Gana, all declared their candidacies for interim leader. Deputy federal chair
Ivan Meyer, DA Women's Network leader
Nomafrench Mbombo, Gauteng MPL
Khume Ramulifho, and
Buffalo City councillor
Dharmesh Dhaya announced that they would contest the election for interim chair. Madikizela soon withdrew his candidacy and Dhaya followed. On 17 November, Steenhuisen was elected interim leader with Meyer as interim chair. They vied for full-terms at the party's congress.
Postponement The party's elective congress was set to be held in May 2020, but this was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. The policy conference, that was supposed to be held in April 2020, was also postponed. Steenhuisen temporarily suspended all campaign activities on 16 March. Moodey and Ntuli soon followed. In April 2020, the party announced it was considering holding a virtual policy conference. It was agreed to by the party's leadership structures and held on 29 May 2020. In May 2020, some party officials proposed that the elective conference be held virtually in October 2020, however, this was met with disapproval since critics argued that it would favourable to Steenhuisen's campaign. The party's Federal Executive, highest decision-making body, approved the decision on 17 May 2020. In July 2020, the
Federal Council, second-highest body, endorsed the proposal and announced that it would be held between 31 October and 1 November 2020. ==Candidates for federal leader==