Motions ‘like witchcraft’ :
Maimane visits Bay to warn on motives of those who want Trollip out
THE DA is desperately trying to gain the sympathy and backing of Nelson Mandela Bay residents ahead of the no-confidence motion set to be tabled against mayor Athol Trollip next week.
The party is even seeking divine intervention, with a mass prayer session planned for later this week.
Addressing a packed Babs Madlakane Hall in Uitenhage yesterday, DA leader Mmusi Maimane said the motions to be debated in council next Thursday could be compared to witchcraft and the party would fight them.
“How can you undermine the will of the people and say, via the backdoor, you are going to bring back the tsotsis who have stolen from the people?” he said.
“If people are used to stealing they don’t care who they are stealing from as long as they are benefiting.
“Tsotsis will always stand together,” Maimane said.
He said Trollip’s detractors wanted to bring the ANC back into power so they could also steal from the poor.
“But we will not let them,” Maimane said to the crowd, which shouted in agreement.
Maimane said he missed Deputy President David Mabuza’s first oral answer session in parliament to garner support for Trollip.
He said he would do the same for Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga and City of Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba should they find themselves in similar positions.
“When they moved a motion for expropriation of land without compensation, they said it’s because they want the land back.
“I say we agree but the thing is why do you want to take the land and give it to the ANC government rather than give the land to the people of South Africa in their own right?” Maimane asked.
Taking more jabs at the ANC, Maimane said it was a party of cowards that actually championed EFF policies.
“Cowards are told by others what to do, but we are not jellyfish – we have a backbone,” Maimane said.
“Surely what we want is to give land to the people, not to give land to the government.
“We don’t want South Africans that will remain tenants as though they are visitors in the country, and that is what the EFF wants.”
He said the EFF had partnered with the ANC and conveniently found flaws in the country’s constitution.
“We are here to protect Athol Trollip. He was white before they elected him, he was white when they voted for him and he will be white. We didn’t choose him because he is, but because he stands for freedom and he is DA,” Maimane said.
Meanwhile, Trollip said should the DA and its coalition partners be removed from government, they would go back to the trenches and return even stronger.
“If we have to be voted out of government so be it, we will make sure that next time we come back with a 51% majority plus,” he said.