In this extract from James Selfe's memoir, he charts the ill-fated courtship, in the run-up to the 2014 general election, between Mamphela Ramphele and Helen Zille.

Former DA Federal Council chairperson James Selfe wrote a number of chapters and overviews of events and people, but the weariness caused by his illness meant that his written story was incomplete when he died in May 2024. His widow Sheila wanted James's contribution to South Africa's body politic to be recognised. This extract, the second of four, is drawn from the drafts James left behind. Former DA MPs Wilmot James and Marian Shinn curated the extracts, and they were released with Sheila Selfe and the Selfe family's support.

The ill-fated courtship, before the 2014 general election, of high-profile political activist and medical doctor Mamphela Ramphele was a frustrating episode in DA leader Helen Zille's search for a leader who would rid the DA of its appellation of being "white".

Their working relationship began in 1993 when Helen joined the staff of the University of Cape Town (UCT) as the director of development and public affairs. Mamphela was vice-chancellor. Superficially, this relationship was symbiotic and successful: Helen would develop the message and the...