South Africa Main Opposition to Cut Jobs Amid Funding Squeeze

(Bloomberg) -- South Africa’s main opposition Democratic Alliance is cutting jobs after it shed support in May elections and lost state and donor funding.

“The reality of the situation with regard staff retrenchments and the absence of bonuses this year is that the organization is in a difficult financial position due to this year’s electoral results where we didn’t achieve the objectives and support we needed,” Solly Malatsi, the party’s spokesman, said by phone on Monday. “We have lost seats in several legislatures as well as the National Assembly, which had an impact on what the party gets in terms for the funding allocated to parties.”

The DA’s share of the national vote slipped to 20.8% in the May 8 vote, from 22.2% five years years earlier.

The party’s plans to fire staff were reported earlier by the Johannesburg-based Star newspaper.

To contact the reporter on this story: Amogelang Mbatha in Johannesburg at ambatha@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net, Mike Cohen, Alastair Reed

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