Young MP Liam Jacobs Switches from DA to Patriotic Alliance, Sparking Nationwide Debate
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| Images of Liam, Gayton and Ashley live on Instagram and Gayton Shared image welcoming Liam on x |
The South African political landscape was rocked this past week as 24-year-old MP Liam Jacobs left the Democratic Alliance (DA) and officially joined the Patriotic Alliance (PA). The announcement came during a Facebook Live on 13 June with PA president Gayton McKenzie and MP Ashley Sauls, and has triggered widespread reaction both praise and criticism from across the country.
From ANC to DA to PA: A Political Journey
Jacobs, who first entered politics through the African National Congress (ANC) before joining the DA and now the PA, has faced a wave of criticism for what some call political “hopping.” His critics accuse him of lacking ideological consistency and say his movement from party to party raises questions about his loyalty.
However, others argue that Jacobs like many young politicians of colour has been navigating political systems that often use emerging voices for visibility, but silence them when they start asking uncomfortable questions.
Allegations of Silencing Inside the DA
Sources close to Jacobs and online conversations suggest that his time in the DA became increasingly tense. He was reportedly told to “tone it down,” and began to feel undermined, used, and boxed in. Some claim that Jacobs’s rising profile especially among Coloured voters may have become a threat to the party’s internal structure.
A Pattern Repeating Itself?
Jacobs’s experience echoes the journey of several former DA leaders of colour, including Lindiwe Mazibuko, Phumzile Van Damme, Patricia de Lille, and Mmusi Maimane all of whom left the party under similarly contentious circumstances. Many South Africans see a pattern: people of colour are elevated for optics, then sidelined once they begin speaking out.
This perception has become a central part of the public discourse surrounding Jacobs’s exit. As one social media user put it: “The DA uses you when you're useful, and dumps you the moment you get bold. Just ask Lindiwe or Mmusi.”
A Turning Point Conversation
In the Facebook Live broadcast, Jacobs shared that a private conversation with Gayton McKenzie made him reflect on his position within the DA. Gayton had said: “You call me a dictator when your party doesn’t have one Coloured person as a minister or deputy minister, despite Coloured people making up the overwhelming majority of the vote.”
Jacobs called it a moment that “hit deep” and led him to realize he had become part of a system that didn’t truly value him.
Gayton’s Mixed Message: Welcome and Caution
McKenzie publicly celebrated Jacobs’s arrival in the PA, saying: “Remember this name, Liam Jacobs. We will guide him to heights unimaginable.” However, he also posted a warning about the political system in general: “They are not pushing him to heights but to a cliff… It hurts me that I was used as a weapon to destroy one of the brightest young minds in the Coloured community.”
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