Emma Powell resigns as DA’s international relations spokesperson

CAPE TOWN - The Democratic Alliance (DA)’s international relations spokesperson, Emma Powell, has stepped down from her role.

In a statement posted on her X account on Monday, Powell refers to harassment, threats and intimidation as having influenced her decision.

It comes just a week after allegations that Powell has been spied upon by the State Security Agency (SSA).

Known for regularly clashing with the African National Congress (ANC) over foreign policy, Powell again ruffled feathers recently when she claimed the president’s special envoy, Mcebisi Jonas, had been denied a United States (US) visa.

Emma Powell has been a DA member of Parliament (MP) since 2019.

Her recent international trips have irked the ANC, which has often viewed their purpose as counter to the country’s foreign policy.

This includes the trip to the US in March, which ultimately got her colleague, Andrew Whitfield, fired as a deputy minister, and then a sponsored trip to Israel in April.

In a statement, Powell said given the complexities of the fragile Government of National Unity (GNU), she’s achieved what she can for now.

“Driven by my commitment to the DA’s foundational principles, I accepted these risks as the unavoidable cost of standing up to and exposing the Department of International Relations and the ANC’s relationships with authoritarian regimes.”

Powell has thanked her party for allowing her to travel the world on its behalf over the last two and a half years and said she would retain her seat in Parliament to empower others, particularly women, to lead.

The DA has since announced that Ryan Smith, who had been Powell’s deputy on this portfolio, will take over as the party’s spokesperson.

DA chief whip George Michalakis thanked Powell for her service and said he would soon announce a new portfolio to which she would be assigned.