More delays for DA chief whip’s hearing

THE DA has again postponed a hearing for its legislature chief whip’s appeal against being axed from the party.

Edmund van Vuuren appealed his party’s decision to terminate his membership in December after being found guilty of sexual harassment by the party’s Federal Legal Commission (FLC) in September.

Federal executive chairman James Selfe told the Dispatch yesterday: “I understand that the hearing has been postponed and now will be heard sometime in March.”

He added that he would need a day or two to determine the reasons for the postponement.

In December he postponed hearing the appeal because Van Vuuren had changed his advocate.

Van Vuuren’s membership was terminated some months after an internal disciplinary process run by a panel of the FLC.

The complaints were lodged by a 25year-old woman who was a junior staffer for the DA at the Bhisho legislature.

She alleged Van Vuuren had made inappropriate comments to her in a telephone call, including offering to stand in for her husband “if necessary”.

The panel recommended his removal from the position of chief whip and termination of his membership of the party, but said that this should be suspended until 2019.

Van Vuuren, who has refused to comment publicly about the case, then appealed the decision.

Selfe said that Van Vuuren would continue to hold his titles of shadow education MEC and chief whip in the legislature until the appeal process was complete.