The ‘kortbroek’ DA’s leadership is mistreating De Lille

DOUGLAS Gibson has just confirmed my opinion that the DA leadership should be collectively called “kortbroek”, or at the very least “lightweight”.

Maimane has jumped the gun in accusing the councillors who resigned as prima facie corrupt, without verifying the facts.

Gibson, unlike most people who are legally trained, muddied the waters by expressing his prejudices as facts. Patricia de Lille has not been charged by the Hawks or any other policing agency, or has she? The venom in his attack on her person is precisely what thinking people hate – spinning personal opinion as facts.

The Directorate of Public Prosecutions should be given an opportunity to apply their collective mind to the facts and then to decide if a prosecution should happen. Mature people understand this and know that to comment now and especially to plant the rumour that a successful prosecution is imminent, may just end in total embarrassment.

Gibson cannot deny this accusation. He is adamant that she must prepare a defence. In the absence of a charge sheet? And he is a lawyer, nogal. Trained by this law firm which tabled two conflicting reports. Why does Gibson not comment on the other report? As a trained legal expert, does he deny Patricia the right to due process?

Spinning the facts can be ugly. The DA made her mayor. This is the fact in his statement. Is it maybe true that she was the face of the DA in the local government elections, that she played an effective part in gaining an increased majority in the Cape Metro for the DA, that she was paraded as the mayor-elect during the elections?

What Gibson is spinning is exactly the loathsome attitude displayed by the DA leadership cabal. Yes, the majority of DA voters and supporters are not white, but the bosses of the party are all white by a large majority. Just look at the opposition benches in the National Assembly. The racism accusation is against the leadership, not the membership.

Why still call Maimane the leader? The power lies with (James) Selfe and Natasha (Mazzone).

Even those two with their leadership styles have discouraged me from considering the DA as a political home. Political maturity in opposition benches seems to have disappeared with the passing on of Van Zyl Slabbert and Helen Suzman.

Mr Gibson, please be a lawyer and allow due process. Wait until it happens. Until then Patricia, horror of all horrors, is innocent. I will next year, should the good Lord spare me, still vote ANC. Whatever flaws they may have, they are being led by some very mature people. The

kortbroeke must grow up.