Merger With DA
In 2010 ID leader Patricia de Lille formalized an agreement to merge with the Democratic Alliance. The two parties will be fully merged by 2014. Due to this, the ID did not contest the 2011 local elections as a separate entity, instead fielding its candidates on the DA:s ballots. In February 2012 DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko reshuffled her shadow cabinet, which included appointing members of the ID to shadow portfolios for the first time. This was seen as a move towards strengthening the co-operation between the two parties heading towards the completion of the merger.
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