Mmusi Maimane to brief media

DA leader Mmusi Maimane will address the media on Wednesday afternoon amid speculation that he will resign as leader of the party.

The DA’s media advisory did not say what the briefing was about.

It will take place at 1pm at the party's headquarters in Johannesburg, the same day as the party's emergency meeting of its federal executive.

The federal executive meeting was called after Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba resigned on Monday.

He resigned in the wake of the DA’s federal council meeting at the weekend, which elected former party leader Helen Zille as the chair of the federal council on Sunday.

Announcing his resignation, Mashaba lashed out at the opposition party, saying he no longer believed it was the same DA he signed up for.

He said he did not think the DA could unseat the ANC or save SA anymore.

Maimane flanked Mashaba at the Monday briefing, at which he called him a hero.

Maimane's leadership has been under increasing pressure since the DA lost support for the first time in the general election in May.

A review report commissioned in the wake of the elections recommended that Maimane, former federal council chair James Selfe and former CEO Paul Boughey all resign.

Selfe was the first to resign earlier in 2019 and Boughey resigned last week.