Dianne Kohler Barnard

Career in journalism

Kohler Barnard spent 23 years working as a radio and print journalist. She ran the KwaZulu-Natal offices of SAfm and also presented/produced the station's afternoon news programme The Editors.

Kohler Barnard is also the former chairperson of the Broadcast, Electronic Media and Allied Workers' Union in KwaZulu-Natal, and was a founder member of the inaugural SABC HIV/Aids Committee.

Politics

Kohler-Barnard moved to politics in response to increasing state interference in the management of the SABC. She was elected to parliament with the DA in 2004, and was initially spokesperson on Arts and Culture.

She was subsequently appointed opposition spokesperson on Health, and was a vocal critic of incumbent Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, particularly over her support for controversial German vitamin salesman Matthias Rath. Rath attempted to sue Kohler Barnard for describing him as a "charlatan", and also tried to sue newspapers that carried the remark.

Subsequently, Kohler Barnard was appointed as Shadow Minister of Police. She was also the DA's representative on the SADC observer mission to Zimbabwe for the last two elections in that country.

Internal DA Disciplinary Controversy

In October 2015, Kohler Barnard was taken to an internal DA disciplinary panel after controversially sharing on her Facebook page a post from someone else suggesting that life in South Africa was better under former apartheid President PW Botha. She deleted it after it was on her site overnight.

It appeared on Twitter as shared by the ANC some weeks later. Although it had long since been deleted on FB one of the first instructions to Kohler Barnard to delete the post came from former DA leader Helen Zille. Kohler Barnard apologised unreservedly for her action, and was subsequently demoted to the position of shadow Deputy Minister of Public Works.

Kohler Barnard stated at the time that she was considering her position, and new DA party leader Mmusi Maimane came under pressure to expel her from the party.

The disciplinary panel apparently recommended that Kohler Barnard be fined R20,000, be removed from all internally elected DA positions, pay for public apologies in 5 newspapers and attend a social media management course at her own expense. Following this, Kohler Barnard's membership of the DA was terminated by the DA Federal Executive. Kohler Barnard then appealed the decision to the DA Federal Legal Commission, as a result of which her expulsion was suspended for a period of 5 years.

The controversy undoubtedly harmed the image of the DA, which has been trying to project itself as an anti-apartheid party and also damaged relations with COPE, which was previously seen as another opposition party with which the DA could work closely. James Selfe, Chair of the DA Federal Council, stated that the affair could cause 'massive damage' to the DA and probably hurt the party in the polls.

The controversy also caused some serious internal tension within the DA, as some have viewed the original decisions as harsh, and may have implications for Mmusi Maimane as new leader of the DA. Her treatment by the DA was described by one political analyst as a 'show trial', inconsistent, and as exposing Maimane as a weak party leader. The party remains divided on the issue, and the matter may not be totally resolved as yet.

A media report in 2016 indicated that Kohler Barnard may not have complied with all of the various sanctions placed on her by the due date.