DA leader Mmusi Maimane has teamed up with the leaders of Venezuela's opposition party to strengthen his party’s stance against nationalisation and the expropriation of land without compensation.

In a joint press conference on Friday with Primero Justicia leaders Miguel Alejandro Pizarro and Jose Manuel Olivares‚ Maimane warned against what he termed populist policies of the ruling ANC.

The DA is opposed to calls by the ANC and the EFF for the nationalisation of the South African Reserve Bank and the amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for expropriation of land without compensation.

Maimane called Venezuela a failed state and urged South Africa to learn from that country’s mistakes.

“In many instances you find liberation movements‚ when faced with an election‚ begin to adopt policies that‚ while in the beginning may seem to speak with the language of justice‚ but are actually designed for populist and selfish benefit‚” he said.

“This in many ways is a South African story today‚ but it used to be the Venezuelan story just a few years ago.”