NEW TWIST IN DA MELTDOWN
Five Cape Town rebels’ threat to sue
The five Cape Town councillors who walked out of the DA on Thursday say they will sue party leader Mmusi Maimane if he does not withdraw his “defamatory” statement by 6pm on Monday.
During a meeting of the Cape Town city council on Thursday‚ Shaun August‚ Suzette Little‚ Siya Mamkeli‚ Thulani Stemele and Greg Barnardo announced their resignations from the council and the party.
“We did so individually and after each of us had taken a long considered personal decision about our future in the DA.
“Each of us did so for our own reasons.”
They said Maimane was reported to have said the Bowmans report “made serious findings” against them.
The five said Maimane had repeated this claim in his newsletter Bokamoso‚ when he said now that a credible forensic investigation by a credible legal firm had allegedly implicated the five in tender irregularities‚ the DA was suddenly a racist party.
“These five councillors have resigned‚ claiming racial victimhood.
“Can it be coincidence that they have suddenly decided the DA is racist now that they stand accused of maladministration?” Maimane said in his newsletter.
The five said there were two Bowmans reports and neither of them had made any findings against any one of them.
“In fact neither of the reports even mention our names. Maimane‚ and the DA‚ have launched a dirty tricks campaign against us‚” the five said in a statement.
The five former councillors said on Sunday said they had instructed an attorney to assist them in taking take action against Maimane and the DA for the statement.
“Our attorney demanded that he retract the false and defamatory allegations against us in the same manner in which he made them.”
They want Maimane to issue a media statement and publish another Bokamoso newsletter.
“In both cases he is to apologise unequivocally for making false and defamatory allegations against us.”
In a short response the DA said: “Mr Maimane has received the letter‚ and is seeking legal advice on the matter.” –